The New York Giants will wrap up the preseason with their fourth and final game against the New England Patriots on Thursday night. Eli Manning has started the first three games of the preseason, but he will not be playing in week four.
Instead, rookie quarterback Daniel Jones will get the start. Daniel Jones has looked spectacular through the first three weeks of preseason and has exceeded expectations in practices. This might be the last time that fans get to watch Daniel for a while. Eli Manning is the team’s starter this season and Daniel Jones is not expected to see any playing time.
What This Means For Daniel Jones
Thursday night will be Daniel Jones’s last game of 2019, barring anything unforeseen. The Giants are not ready to dethrone Eli Manning just yet. Daniel Jones has exceeded expectations in the preseason with an incredible stat line.
Through three preseason games, Daniel has completed 25 of his 30 passes for 369 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. This has led some Giants fans to campaign for Jones to start week one. Some fans see his strong preseason performance as an indicator of what he could do in the regular season, but others are careful not to overreact to exhibition games against backups.
Daniel Jones does not look like the awful draft pick that experts believed he was in April. But he still does not look like a better player than Eli Manning in the Giants’ eyes. Eli has been consistent throughout practice and the preseason. Unless Eli falls on his face and has a historically bad start to the season, Giants fans should not expect to see Daniel Jones start any games in 2019.
What This Means For Eli Manning
Eli Manning is still untouchable. He is the Giants’ 2019 starter and Daniel Jones’s impressive play was not enough to change the team’s mind. Eli is entering his sixteenth season and is still the most prepared player on the team.
In fact, Manning looks like an improved version of himself so far this season. Manning’s arm strength has improved after training with a baseball coach and he has looked sharp through the preseason. He has not seen as much playing time as the rookie has, but Eli has looked good in his limited playing time.
We will see Eli Manning back under center in week one. The Giants will kick off the regular season at 4:25 p.m. on September 8th in Arlington, Texas, to take on the division rival Dallas Cowboys. The Giants are smart to rest Eli in the final week of preseason and keep him healthy and prepared for week one.