Daniel Jones' search for his old Giants form begins with a happy coincidence

It's really just a whim, a coincidence, a random coincidence. Intellectually, we all know that. Intellectually, we know that the list of must-haves that the NFL game planner considered before putting together the massive maze didn't look like this:

1. Schedule a home game against the Chiefs for the first day of the year.

2. Let Daniel Jones make his comeback against the Vikings.

But it's still a good starting spot for Jones, who has endured the long road back from knee surgery, the lonely hours of rehab and the lonelier moments of doubt, fear and uncertainty. Jones' season last year lasted six games, and, frankly, they weren't particularly promising games: two touchdowns and six interceptions, a 70.5 rating, a 1-5 record.

But that all goes away thanks to the magic of Opening Day. Sunday afternoon, 1 p.m., Giants Stadium, Jones gets a fresh start, and he gets to make that fresh start against a team he dismantled twice in three weeks two years ago. In Week 16 against the Vikings on Christmas Eve, he was brilliant in a 27-24 loss, 30 of 42 for 334 yards, a touchdown and a pick.

But in the first round of the playoffs, in front of 66,721 Minnesotans at U.S. Bank Park, he was even better, and people screamed themselves hoarse for three hours trying to get to Jones, but they never managed to do so.

You just have to believe that the game records of Giants 31, Vikings 24, and especially Jones' maestro-like performance (24 of 35 with two touchdowns and no interceptions; 78 more yards on 17 carries) contributed to Joe Schoen's decision to sign him for four years and $160 million – essentially choosing him over Saquon Barkley as the cornerstone of the franchise.

Last season was a waste.

So the rest of Daniel Jones' career starts now, Sunday, 1 p.m., MetLife. And he gets the Vikings. As far as a return goes, that's pretty much all he could ask for, at least as far as his muscle memory goes.

“I feel good, ready to go and excited to get out there,” Jones said last week. “We have high expectations for our offensive performance as a group. I think because of the work we've done and the progress we've made, we expect to be a good unit, score a lot of points and attack the defense in a lot of different ways.”

That starts with the quarterback. That starts with Jones. Both head coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka have said the Giants will be more aggressive in their deep offense, which only makes sense given the skill and potential of the new crown jewel of the receiver corps, Malik Nabers.

“Big plays help,” Daboll said. “You skip third attempts. You move the ball a little farther down the field. There are fewer plays in a drive. All of those things happen. You have to be really, really efficient on long drives.”

And they believe they have seen enough of Jones this summer.

“He's always had a great work ethic,” Kafka said. “That's never going to change with him. From day one, in the film room, in the weight room, those are things that are just in his blood. The work ethic part has really never been a problem.”

Jones' popularity hasn't improved either. From the beginning, it was impossible not to want Jones to become the true heir to Eli Manning, the role the Giants drafted him for. In his best moments, he lived up to that comparison.

We've spotlighted the Vikings' two games in 2022, but Jones has been great all year. The Giants have been the happy surprise in all of football this year, and Jones has captained the ship.

Now he has Nabers, which should make him ready to show up at the stadium at 12:01 a.m. Sunday morning. That's the kind of potential weapon quarterbacks dream about. Especially one who hasn't thrown a single important pass in the last 338 days.

“I think we're in a good position,” Jones said. “I think we're confident. We've had a good training camp, we're prepared and now we've got to go out there and execute. I think it's about translating the work that's been done since this spring to the field.”

If that happens, it could feel like 2022 all over again. If you're a Giants fan, that's the only way to get excited.