Duke football: Daniel Jones misses NFL Playoffs in heartbreaking fashion

Duke football standout Daniel Jones missed the NFL Playoffs in heartbreaking fashion.

There hasn’t been much to look forward to if you are a supporter of the Duke football team this year, but Sunday had the chance to be a great day for the program.

Former star quarterback Daniel Jones had a chance to qualify for the NFL Playoffs for the first time in his professional career with the New York Giants.

New York needed to defeat the Dallas Cowboys and then hope for the Philadelphia Eagles to defeat the Washington Football Team on Sunday night.

It has been an up-and-down season for Jones, who has struggled with injuries in the final four games of the season, but the former Blue Devil looked healthy while facing his NFC East rival.

Daniel Jones and the Giants (6-10) defeated Dallas (6-10), 23-19, behind a 229-yard, two-touchdown performance from its second-year quarterback; however, there was an interception and fumble on Jones’ stat line.

Following a long wait until Sunday night, the G-Men had to root for their bitter rival to try and propel them to the NFC East Championship.

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In a back-and-forth affair throughout the first three quarters, the Eagles and Football Team traded punches before Philadelphia opted to try and take the lead with a 4th down conversion instead of tying the game with a chip-shot field goal, and it then turned the ball over on downs.

As Washington held a 17-14 lead entering the final quarter, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson pulled quarterback rookie Jalen Hurts, who had been starting in favor of Carson Wentz, for journeyman quarterback Nate Sudfeld, who had not thrown a pass in the NFL since 2018.

In what appeared to be a clear attempt to tank the game so the Eagles could select No. 6 instead of No. 9 in the 2021 NFL Draft, Washington took advantage of a lifeless Philly offense with Sudfeld under center, eventually winning the game, 20-14, and winning the NFC East.

Daniel Jones and the Giants will now head into a critical offseason, in which the franchise must make a decision if the former Blue Devil will be the signal-caller going forward.

Former Duke football players in the NFL Playoffs

Despite Daniel Jones not making his first playoff appearance this season, there are a handful of former Blue Devils in the postseason.

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Offensive linemen Matt Skura (Baltimore Ravens), Lucas Patrick (Green Bay Packers), and cornerback Ross Cockrell (Tampa Bay Buccaneers ) all qualified for the NFL Playoffs, beginning this Saturday afternoon.

Patrick and the Packers earned a first-round bye after being the No. 1 seed in the NFC while Skura and Cockrell will be in action on Wild Card Weekend.