It has been far from a fairytale across four turbulent seasons for Daniel Jones in the NFL career, but this bruised and bloodied Giants quarterback displayed grit and determination to upset the travelling Green Bay Packers fans in London in the best performance of his career.
Aaron Rodgers, stunted by a feisty New York defence and deprived of legitimate weapons to capitalise on his masterful passing ability in the pocket, coughed up a lead to go down 27-22 as hopes of a return to the NFC Championship game were further dented.
British NFL fans have been patient, but after 31 London games and 15 years, they finally welcomed the 32nd NFL team and their legendary quarterback. But optimism they would witness fireworks sprinkled throughout the four-time MVP’s 17-year career were dampened as the ‘hosts’ instead resumed a strategy of death through a thousands cuts.
Rodgers, a master of control and tempo in the pocket, had at one point made just two of 18 passes travelling beyond five yards. Longing for superstar wide receiver Davante Adams, who departed last summer for Las Vegas, Matt LaFleur has instead conjured up an offense behind two bruising running backs, Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon. And it predictably led to a healthy dose of screens, with the weapons yet to instil enough confidence that Rodgers can routinely go deep.
The 38-year-old passer often looked to the flats at the spectacular Tottenham Hotspur Stadium; carving out an early lead through Allen Lazard and Marcedes Lewis touchdowns. The former joined Rodgers at Wembley on Friday to witness the Lionesses take down the United States and it was Giants head coach Brian Daboll who let out a roar as New York struggled to contain last year’s No 1 seed in the NFC.
And with Jones nursing an ankle injury all week, Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka turned towards trickery and an imaginative scheme after witnessing 12 ineffective minutes without a pass completed for positive yardage. Indeed, Jones was temporarily pulled to the periphery of the game to inject some life into the Giants as Saquon Barkley, the league’s rushing leader with 463 yards entering week five, took direct snaps under centre.
Jones then handed off to Saquon, who dropped the ball off to rookie Daniel Bellinger and the tight end burst into a lane off the reverse to eat into Green Bay’s lead and make it 17-10. The fourth-round pick had plenty to do as the ball was forced into his belly, with Next Gen Stats calculating just a 26.1 percent chance of a touchdown, making the decision to snub a pass back to his quarterback even more gutsy..
The Giants emerged with greater belief in the second half but the slow bleed at the hands of Rodgers resumed until a critical sack from Dexter Lawrence on third down. The 2019 first-rounder grabbed at Rodgers as he tumbled to the turf, removing the possibility of a field goal and keeping the Giants to within seven points.
A determined Jones, still striving for an explosive play, then displayed true toughness as blood poured from a gash that had opened up on his throwing hand. And as Jones lingered, a light bulb appeared to illuminate the Giants offense, with an unlikely 16-yard completion to Marcus Johnson, recently elevated from the practice squad.
The 15-play, 91-yard drive was capped by a Gary Brightwell touchdown to tie the game up at 20 points apiece, prompting a nervous energy to spread among the Cheeseheads in attendance.
Of course, winter is coming, as Kit Harrington watched on from the stands, which will boost this run-dominated Packers offense as temperatures bite and tackles break. But until those gloomy Sunday evenings in Wisconsin, Rodgers must strive to unlock those fireworks in the passing game to provide balance.
A fierce determination spread across the demeanor of Jones, who was denied the fifth-year option entering this year as he scraps for a future as a starting quarterback. The 25-year-old dumped the ball off to Barkley for a 41-yard reception, bringing up 104 scrimmage yards for the day. And Jones selflessly stepped aside deep in the red zone for another Barkley wildcard play, tumbling in for a two-yard score to go up 27-20 with the upset on the cards.
Rodgers was not done yet though; an ominous five-minute, 67-yard drive dragged the Packers to the red zone with 62 seconds remaining. But the Packers turned the ball over on downs, batting away a Rodgers pass on fourth down to spark a Jones celebration as he wheeled back towards the bench to collect his helmet.
Jones might not be the future, but Big Blue, now 4-1 and alive in a rejuvenated NFC East, believe again. Meanwhile, the Packers and Rodgers are left to stew, slipping to 3-2 and likely facing a bumpy ride back to the NFC Championship game.
