How to judge Daniel Jones vs. Dwayne Haskins after their first matchup

Jones looked better in Week 4, but Haskins still had his, uh, moment.

In Week 3, Daniel Jones put the rest of the NFL on notice by rallying his Giants to a comeback win against the Buccaneers. In Week 4, his mantle as the NFC East’s most exciting young quarterback was briefly challenged by a player drafted nine slots after him.

A lackluster performance from Case Keenum pushed rookie Dwayne Haskins into active duty for a Washington team desperately in need of optimism in 2019. The former Ohio State star took the field for the final drive of his team’s first half and led his offense to its only points of the day.

Any brief hopes of a rookie shootout were dashed in an unexciting third quarter. Jones made a bunch of low-key completions, while Haskins looked like a rookie on a Jabrill Peppers pick-six that increased the Giants’ win probability into the 90s. The final score isn’t the important takeaway from a game between two teams with limited postseason chances, however. The futures of New York and Washington are.

With that in mind, which first-year quarterback looked better in what promises to be the first of many Jones-Haskins showdowns? Let’s break it down into a few key categories.

Scoring drives

Jones pushed New York to 14 points in his first two possessions, effectively ending this game in the first quarter. The first only covered 32 yards thanks to a Keenum interception. The second went 94 yards in nearly seven minutes to demoralize Washington. Those were the only touchdowns the Giants’ offense scored in Week 4. Of Jones’ 225 passing yards, 89 came on those two drives.

Haskins got Washington its first points of the game after coming into the game late in the second quarter and could have had more if not for a bungled clock situation at the end of the first half. Only one of the six drives that followed gained more than eight yards.

Advantage: Jones, though neither side was especially impressive after halftime.

Turnovers

Jones was able to do everything he wanted in Week 3’s comeback win against the Buccaneers. He wasn’t as fortunate against Washington, who took advantage of split-second lapses when Jones tried to thread the needle downfield.

While it made sense to pick on Quinton Dunbar — a player who came in with only 15 starts over a five-year career — Jones was unable to make the tough throws he’d turned into big games a week earlier.

Haskins’ mistakes were less confidence related. His third quarter pick-six was the product of a shrinking pocket and a back-foot throw.

His two interceptions in the fourth quarter were more stable situations. Let’s focus on the third and final one. Haskins made the right read when he threw a pass that arrived slightly too early for a turning Vernon Davis on third down. Instead of a fresh set of downs, the ball was tipped into the air and eventually into the hands of Janoris Jenkins.

This was good decision, but a bad throw created his third turnover. That’s a timing concern, and one that should be remedied as he earns more reps with the first team offense.

Advantage: Jones. Jones had one fewer turnover than his rival, and they were the product of better decisions. Haskins’ tried to arm-strength his way out of trouble, which is a rookie mistake he’ll have to shake over the next 13 weeks.

Efficiency

Both players were without a top receiver. Giants wideout Golden Tate missed Sunday’s game while serving the fourth and final game of his offseason PED suspension. Washington rookie Terry McLaurin didn’t take the field due to a hamstring injury.

Jones was also without 2018 offensive rookie of the year Saquon Barkley, but he made backup Wayne Gallman a worthy replacement. The former Clemson star had six receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown in the Giants’ win, serving as one of his rookie QB’s top targets.

In all, Jones completed 23 of 31 passes for 225 yards, one touchdown, and an interception. Haskins finished his day with 107 passing yards, but 39 of those came from a second-and-21 screen pass to Chris Thompson that didn’t require much finesse. On the plus side, his 32.8 passer rating was still higher than Keenum’s (23.7)

Advantage: Jones. By a lot.

Pocket awareness

Both Haskins and Jones showcased the ability to escape from crumbling pockets or turn blanket coverage downfield into important yards with their legs. Haskins’ biggest play of the day may have come on the 15-yard scramble that put Washington as close to the end zone as it got all day:

However, Haskins was also sacked twice as a product of holding the ball too long in the pocket, which erased much of the positive impact he had as a scrambler. Jones, on the other hand, was able to escape pressure and post a clean sheet (33 rushing yards, zero sacks) while limiting the impact of the Washington pass rush.

Advantage: Haskins had a slight advantage as a runner, Jones had a big one as a passer. Haskins isn’t yet comfortable in the pocket. Given Washington’s struggles along the offensive line without Trent Williams in the lineup, that makes sense.

Overall

These two rookies have fewer than 11 combined quarters of NFL football between them, so it’s mostly futile to predict their futures based on less than two games.

That said, Jones looked better in quarters 5-8 of his pro career than Haskins did in quarters 1-3 of his. The Washington rookie looked overwhelmed in a way his New York counterpart hadn’t in either his pro debut or the Week 4 matchup that followed. Both were flawed passers Sunday and both made nice plays — but in all, Jones was the more promising prospect between the two former first-round picks.