Daniel Jones has underwent a career renaissance with the New York Giants this season, showcased in Sunday's wild-card weekend victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Not only did the Giants win their first playoff game since Super Bowl XLVI (February 2012), but Jones made history in the process.
Jones completed 24-of-35 passes for 301 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions (115.7 rating) as New York put up a road season-high 31 points. He set the franchise playoff record for the most rushing yards by a quarterback (78) and became just the third quarterback in NFL history to throw for 300-plus yards and rush for 75-plus yards in a playoff game. Jones was also the first player in league history with 300-plus passing yards, 70-plus rushing yards and two-plus passing touchdowns in a playoff game.
The performance was huge for Jones on the national stage, yet there is another obstacle Jones has to overcome as his career has taken a turn. Jones has notoriously struggled in prime-time games since being drafted in 2019, sporting an infamous 1-9 record in the 10 such games he's started in.
Of course, the New York Giants face the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC divisional round this week -- in prime time.
How bad has Jones been in those 10 prime-time starts? Let's take a look at the performances in each game, starting with his passing numbers:
Daniel Jones in prime time -- Passing
| Game | Opponent | Completions/Attempts | Pass Yards | Pass TD | INT | Passer Rating | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Week 6, 2019 | at Patriots (TNF) | 15 of 31 (48.4%) | 161 | 1 | 3 | 35.2 | Loss 35-14 |
Week 9, 2019 | vs. Cowboys (MNF) | 26 of 41 (63.4%) | 210 | 1 | 1 | 74.2 | Loss 37-18 |
Week 1, 2020 | vs. Steelers (MNF) | 26 of 41 (63.4%) | 279 | 2 | 2 | 79.2 | Loss 26-16 |
Week 7, 2020 | at Eagles (TNF) | 20 of 30 (66.7%) | 187 | 2 | 1 | 91.9 | Loss 22-21 |
| Week 8, 2020 | vs. Buccaneers (MNF) | 25 of 41 (61.0%) | 256 | 2 | 2 | 74.8 | Loss 25-23 |
Week 2, 2021 | at Washington (TNF) | 22 of 32 (68.8%) | 249 | 1 | 0 | 102.2 | Loss 30-29 |
Week 8, 2021 | vs. Chiefs (MNF) | 22 of 32 (68.8%) | 222 | 2 | 1 | 96.1 | Loss 20-17 |
Week 11, 2021 | at Buccaneers (MNF) | 23 of 38 (60.5%) | 167 | 1 | 2 | 57.7 | Loss 30-10 |
| Week 3, 2022 | vs. Cowboys (MNF) | 20 of 37 (54.1%) | 196 | 0 | 1 | 57.9 | Loss 23-16 |
| Week 15, 2022 | at Commanders (SNF) | 21 of 32 (65.6%) | 160 | 0 | 0 | 77.6 | Won 20-12 |
In those 10 prime-time games, Jones has completed 62% of his passes for 2,087 yards with 12 touchdowns to 13 interceptions, compiling a 74.2 passer rating. Jones never has thrown for three touchdowns in a prime-time affair, and only had two games where he didn't throw an interception.
Jones has never thrown for 300 yards in a prime-time game, and the Giants have scored fewer than 20 points in six of those 10 contests. Four of those losses have been by a field goal or less. Jones just has two fourth-quarter passing touchdowns in the one-score prime-time games, with a failed two-point conversion to tie the 2020 game against Tampa Bay, and a lost fumble on the final drive against Philadelphia that same year.
How about in the 2022 season? Jones has completed 59.4% of his passes for 356 yards with no touchdowns and an interception in his two prime-time starts, going 1-1 in those starts with a 67.1 passer rating.
Simply put, the passing numbers for Jones in prime-time games are less than ideal. What about his rushing numbers?
Daniel Jones in prime time -- Rushing
| Game | Opponent | Carries | Yards | TD | Fumbles (Lost) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Week 6, 2019 | at Patriots (TNF) | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 (0) | Loss 35-14 |
Week 9, 2019 | vs. Cowboys (MNF) | 6 | 54 | 0 | 2 (2) | Loss 37-18 |
Week 1, 2020 | vs. Steelers (MNF) | 4 | 22 | 0 | 0 (0) | Loss 26-16 |
Week 7, 2020 | at Eagles (TNF) | 4 | 92 | 0 | 1 (1) | Loss 22-21 |
| Week 8, 2020 | vs. Buccaneers (MNF) | 3 | 20 | 0 | 0 (0) | Loss 25-23 |
Week 2, 2021 | at Washington (TNF) | 9 | 95 | 1 | 0 (0) | Loss 30-29 |
Week 8, 2021 | vs. Chiefs (MNF) | 5 | 12 | 0 | 1 (0) | Loss 20-17 |
Week 11, 2021 | at Buccaneers (MNF) | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 (0) | Loss 30-10 |
| Week 3, 2022 | vs. Cowboys (MNF) | 9 | 79 | 0 | 0 (0) | Loss 23-16 |
| Week 15, 2022 | at Commanders (SNF) | 10 | 35 | 0 | 0 (0) | Won 20-12 |
Jones has been impressive running the football in prime-time games, having 55 carries for 427 yards and a touchdown, averaging 7.76 yards per carry and 42.7 yards per game through 10 games. He has four fumbles and lost three in prime-time games.
Of course, Jones is known for falling on a 80-yard run against Philadelphia -- having an easy score in sight. NFL Next Gen Stats tracked Jones at 21.23 mph on the run before he tripped and failed to score the touchdown.
DANIEL JONES. 80-YARD RUN.
— NFL (@NFL) October 23, 2020
📺: #NYGvsPHI on NFLN/FOX/PRIME VIDEO
📱: https://t.co/W5bCPYgMfo pic.twitter.com/zI1GumCyn0
The Giants did score later in the possession, but blew a 21-10 lead with 6:21 left. The 80-yard run by Jones is the longest run for a quarterback since Colin Kaepernick in 2014, but Jones failed to score. That run magnified Jones' prime-time struggles throughout his career.
Jones has 19 carries for 114 yards and has averaged 6.0 yards per carry in his two prime-time games this season.
Verdict
Jones currently averages 251.4 yards per game (passing and rushing) with 13 total touchdowns and 16 turnovers (13 interceptions and three lost fumbles) in prime time. The numbers haven't been great, and the Giants' offense has struggled in those prime-time games as a result.
Jones has completed 64% of passes in his career and averaged 214.9 passing yards per game (208.7 in prime time) with 60 touchdowns to 34 interceptions for an 86.5 rating -- so his prime-time numbers throwing the football are significantly worse.
Look at Jones' 2022 season. He completed 67.2% of his passes for 3,205 yards with 15 touchdowns to five interceptions (92.5 rating) while rushing for 708 yards and seven touchdowns (5.9 yards per carry). He has a 67.1 passer rating in two prime-time starts, albeit Jones finally got into the win column after starting 0-9 in prime-time games.
Can Jones erase the narrative of his struggles in prime-time games? The Giants quarterback will get his chance on Saturday night.
