Daniel Jones isn't ready to return to the field just yet. The former first-round pick was knocked out of the Week 12 battle against the Cincinnati Bengals with a hamstring injury that was severe enough to allow him to return for just one snap before wincing in obvious pain and returning to the sideline, not to return again. Head coach Joe Judge voiced optimism initially about Jones' status going forward, but the New York Giants will have to do without him on Sunday. The team has reportedly ruled Jones out of the Week 13 contest with the Seattle Seahawks, via Adam Schefter of ESPN, naming backup quarterback Colt McCoy as starter.
It was McCoy who stepped in for an injured Jones to cap the win over the Bengals last week, and the Giants promoted quarterback Clayton Thorson from the team's practice squad to serve as his backup. McCoy is now tasked with manning the ship and helping to keep the Giants on track to clinch their first playoff berth since 2016, by virtue of winning the NFC East. It's undetermined how much more time Jones will miss, but what's clear is he was playing good football prior to the injury -- arguably some of the best of his young but uneven career.
The good news for Judge and Co. is that McCoy has been in this position before. As a 10-year veteran of the NFL, his several seasons spent with the Washington Football Team saw him tasked with taking the reins as starter on more than one occasion, so he's far from a greenhorn in any regard.
McCoy also started in 21 games for the Cleveland Browns in his first two NFL seasons, a former third-round pick who went on to a one-year stay with the San Francisco 49ers before landing in Washington in 2014. McCoy isn't the most prolific backup you'll see, as noted by his 7-21 career record as a starter, but he's also not the worst. He's thrown 27 interceptions in his career to 29 touchdowns, but 20 of those INTs were in his first two years in the NFL. Since 2011, he's averaging just one interception per start -- not awful for a QB2 -- and while he threw no touchdowns in the Giants win over the Bengals, he also didn't turn the ball over.
Time will tell if McCoy will have to play his best ball to keep the Giants in the win column, and that evaluation begins in Week 13.
