Archie Manning: QB Daniel Jones can take Giants to Super Bowl

Archie Manning believes quarterback Daniel Jones can lead the New York Giants back to the NFL mountaintop. 

"I think Daniel can absolutely take his team to a Super Bowl," Manning said of Jones while speaking with Ian O'Connor of the New York Post. "I think Daniel can be one of the top quarterbacks in the league. He’s accurate with the football, he’s tough, he’s got escapability and he’s smart. If you put a good team around Daniel, he can lead them down the right road." 

Of course, Manning watched as his son Eli Manning famously guided the Giants to victories in Super Bowl XLII and Super Bowl XLVI that made the younger brother of Peyton a club legend. Years later, Jones attended the well-known Manning Passing Academy Camp and subsequently replaced Eli in the New York lineup as a rookie in September 2019. 

The 25-year-old has now helped the 2022 edition of the Giants reach a 7-2 record heading into this Sunday's home game against the 3-6 Detroit Lions. 

Archie Manning added during his comments that he sends Jones supportive text messages every now and then and is convinced "Big Blue" could go on a meaningful run between Week 11 and whenever the club's season ends. 

"I like their spirit," Manning said of the Giants. "They’re playing like a playoff team. But you’ve still got to finish." 

Statistically, Jones is enjoying the best season, to date, of his NFL career. ESPN numbers show the fourth-year pro began Thursday 12th among eligible signal-callers with a 92.7 passer rating, eighth with a 60.3 total QBR, 13th with a 65.8% completion percentage, and fourth among quarterbacks with 387 rushing yards on the campaign. He's thrown for 1,596 yards with eight touchdowns and two interceptions to go along with three scores on the ground. 

For what it's worth, Manning also told O'Connor he "would like to see" the Giants sign Odell Beckham Jr. before a different club lands the free-agent wide receiver.