Vikings’ $76 Million Star Turns Heads With Comment on Giants’ Daniel Jones
The Minnesota Vikings tormented quarterback Daniel Jones to the point that they started to feel sorry for the New York Giants quarterback.
Appearing on KFAN’s “Power Trip Morning Show” following the Vikings’ 28-6 victory over the Giants in Week 1, Vikings outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard said that his teammates started to feel sorry for Jones due to the relentless pressure and disruption the defense brought.
“We kind of started to feel a little bit bad for him as we’re still just completely taking away everything he wants to do,” Greenard said. “Hey, it’s good to be on the other side of it, and it’s our job to not be on that side.”
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Greenard, who logged five pressures and a sack on Sunday, was part of a rabid Vikings pass rush that posted the league’s highest pressure rate (38.8%) in Week 1. Jones was 22 of 42 for 186 yards with two interceptions, posting a 44.3 passer rating in his season debut.
The Giants were held to two field goals and went 0-for-3 in the red zone; the other trip was foiled by a Harrison Smith interception in the end zone. Andrew Van Ginkel also intercepted a pass from Jones on the 10-yard line and returned it for a touchdown to put the finishing touches on a dominant performance.
The Jones-led offense tallied just 240 yards of offense.
“It was good obviously because we got the dub,” Greenard added. “But everybody knows on the defensive side of the ball that they shouldn’t have had any points.”
The Vikings’ defensive dominance likely came as a shocker to Giants fans who last recalled Jones throwing for 301 yards and two touchdowns while adding 78 yards rushing in the NFC Wild Card round in 2023.
That game sealed Jones a lucrative four-year, $160 million contract that looks more like a head-scratcher by the day. Jones has thrown eight interceptions and just two touchdowns in seven starts since he signed his new deal.
While Sunday’s win doesn’t match the sting of a playoff loss, it is an encouraging sign for the Vikings defense entering its first true year under Flores.
Last season, Flores made do with the personnel he inherited; but this year’s team defense is made of players of his choice.
