Daniel Jones the clear winner in matchup vs. Dwayne Haskins
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Daniel Jones vs. Dwayne Haskins broke out Sunday at MetLife Stadium in a matchup of 2019 first-round rookie quarterbacks. It’s what the masses wanted to see rather than the flagfest that unfolded during much of the first half in the New York Giants‘ 24-3 victory over the Washington Redskins.
There were times when both looked like rookies, but Jones was a clear winner on the field.
Quarterback breakdown: Jones finished 23-of-31 for 225 yards with a touchdown pass and two interceptions. It wasn’t perfect. He threw interceptions on consecutive passes in the second quarter but bounced back and looked like the more advanced of the two QB rookies. Jones led the Giants down the field for a field goal before halftime immediately after the two interceptions.
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The Giants (2-2) moved the ball consistently until they shut it down with a big lead late, with Jones’ poise and ability to make plays with his legs on full display. Jones also benefited from a strong performance by running back Wayne Gallman (118 total yards, 2 TDs), who was filling in for the injured Saquon Barkley.
Jones showed improvement with his ball security after losing three fumbles in his first two career games. That’s key. The first thing Jones mentioned this week when asked what he could do better after an incredible first start was ball security. It was evident on Sunday, even when he had a Houdini-like escape on a third-and-long in the third quarter.
Jones, the No. 6 overall pick, was in command throughout, while it showed that Haskins was making his first NFL appearance. Haskins entered the game in the second quarter after Case Keenum‘s early struggles and was shaky at times (delay of game and wasted timeouts).
Haskins, the No. 15 overall pick, finished 9-of-17 passing for 107 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions.
Promising trend: The Giants allowed three points in the second half of their Week 3 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They allowed three total points Sunday against the Redskins. So what if Washington’s offense was severely depleted by injury. This was a positive sign for the Giants’ defense, which created turnovers and produced seven points on a Jabrill Peppers interception return for a touchdown.
This is the same Giants defense that allowed 56 points in the first six quarters of the season against the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills. It has now allowed six points in its past six quarters.
Rookie cornerback DeAndre Baker played well for the second straight game. Janoris Jenkins also bounced back following a poor Week 3 performance by intercepting a pair of passes and tipping another into the arms of linebacker Ryan Connelly. Finally something for the Giants to be optimistic about.
Losing Connelly, a fifth-round rookie who started at middle linebacker, to a knee injury in the fourth quarter was the only negative for coordinator James Bettcher’s unit against the Redskins.
Eye-popping NFL Next Gen Stat: Evan Engram hit 20.31 miles per hour on a 31-yard catch-and-run in the second quarter. It’s the third time this season he topped 20 miles per hour, and now has the three top speeds of any tight end this season. His 20.84 miles per hour last week was the fastest. Engram finished with four catches for 51 yards and is thriving with Jones.