Giants QB Daniel Jones looks to provide spark in return from neck injury vs. Raiders

The Giants have two quarterbacks available for Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders. 

Daniel Jones, who has been cleared to play, will start. Rookie Tommy DeVito will be his backup with Tyrod Taylor sidelined with a rib injury.

"Daniel’s right back in the mix of it and leading and doing all the things that he needs to do," offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said.

Jones is coming off the second neck injury of his career. 

“You’re certainly aware of it,” Kafka said. “You’re certainly aware of the previous injury, but you’ve got to make sure we talk about that as a staff and in the game plan and see how we want to handle that.” 

Jones and Saquon Barkley will try to pick up where they left off — a Week 2 win in Arizona.

“We haven’t had all of our guys on the field at once in a long time,” Barkley said. "So it would definitely be just good when you have your playmakers and some of your best players out there and jell well together.

"To say that we’re going to score however many points, four touchdowns in a half [as they did against the Cardinals], I can’t sit here and guarantee that. But it’ll definitely give us a better opportunity to win football games when your best players are out there on the field.” 

How will the Raiders respond?

Las Vegas fired head coach Josh McDaniels, general manager Dave Ziegler and offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi this past week. It named former Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce interim head coach

In his first news conference in his new role, Pierce said: “It's a new day, it's a new chapter, it's a new era, it's a new mindset. What is that mindset? It's that of the Raider pride, the commitment to excellence and making sure our alumni, our fan base and Raider Nation are proud of what they see on the field." 

The Athletic reported this past week that the Raiders had “maybe the happiest locker room ever” after the firings. 

Rookie Aiden O’Connell will start at quarterback with  Jimmy Garoppolo as the backup.

Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale said he has thought about former Raiders owner Al Davis this week and reflected on the time he spent with him. Beginning in 2004, Martindale spent the first five seasons of his career as the Raiders' linebacker coach.

The Giants will be the first team to face Bo Dardegee as offensive coordinator and the second to see O’Connell, a fourth-round pick out of Purdue.

“The rookie quarterback is going to be a rookie quarterback,” Martindale said. “The quarterbacks in this league, they can come out and be real hot. I'm sure we'll see more screens than ever, especially on third down and things like that where they get the ball out of his hands quick.” 

As for getting a read on the new offensive coordinator, Martindale said, “I think that's a tough one. I've been in those shoes before — not midseason, but as far as becoming a coordinator — and it takes a while for coordinators to find themselves as well. But you'll see his personality early in the game.” 

Martindale said he knows this part of the Raiders’ game plan will not change: “We know he’s going to get the ball to Davante Adams and he’s going to hand the ball off to Josh Jacobs.”

By Kimberly Jones

kimberly.jones@newsday.comkimjonessports

Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.