Daniel Jones Impresses in Preseason Debut as Giants Beat Jets 31-22

New York Giants rookie quarterback Daniel Jones enjoyed a perfect debut as he went 5-of-5 for 67 yards and a touchdown in a 31-22 preseason win over the New York Jets.

Jones, who played one drive, threaded a 12-yard pass to Bennie Fowler for his first professional touchdown:

He also found Cody Latimer for a 31-yard pass between two defenders to help set up the score:

Cynthia Frelund of NFL Network pointed out that Jones' performance was more impressive considering the slight separation between Giants wideouts and Jets defensive backs:

Nick Turchyn of Big Blue Banter also gave credit to Jones for his deft ball placement:

Jones will almost certainly be sitting behind Eli Manning when the Giants open the season against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1, a sentiment that head coach Pat Shurmur reiterated in his postgame presser:

However, that won't stop people from overreacting to one series of passes:

Most importantly, Jones impressed superstar teammate and running back Saquon Barkley, who spoke about the quarterback's performance.

"I think he did an unbelievable job, understanding the offense, reading the defense, putting the ball where it needed to be," Barkley said. "He did an amazing job of going down and putting points on the board."

Barkley also gave due credit to the offensive line, running back Wayne Gallman and the wideouts for their efforts.

Jones only played one drive after a lightning delay took players off the field for nearly an hour. When teams got back on the field, the Giants' lineup changed and largely consisted of backups.

On the other sideline, second-year Jets signal-caller Sam Darnold encountered little trouble on his lone drive, going 4-of-5 for 68 yards and a touchdown. He showed an excellent rapport with new Jets wideout Jamison Crowder off the bat, finding him twice for 31 yards and a touchdown:

The connection between Darnold and tight Chris Herndon didn't show any rust either, as they hooked up for a 32-yard completion:

Herndon caught all four of his touchdown passes from Darnold last year. He also had six catches for 82 yards in a Week 16 game against the Green Bay Packers.

The Giants' backups proved to be too strong for the Jets' reserves down the stretch, though.

Linebacker Jake Carlock had a sack and a pick-six:

And cornerback Corey Ballentine went up top for his own interception:

Lastly, TJ Jones led all receivers with 72 yards. He caught six passes, including this touchdown from Kyle Lauletta:

The Giants will host the Chicago Bears next on Friday, August 16, at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Jets will visit the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday at 7 p.m.