Aug. 23 (UPI) -- Rookie quarterback Daniel Jones continued his impressive preseason by completing 9-of-11 passes during a New York Giants win against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Veteran Eli Manning started the game for the Giants, before being replaced by Jones for the team's second drive during the 25-23 win Thursday at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. Manning completed 4-of-8 passes for 41 yards on his lone drive, leading the Giants to a first quarter field goal.
"He sees things well," Giants coach Pat Shurmur told reporters. "He moved forward in his progress of being ready to play. Each week he does things. He is into it. I adjust on the run quite a bit and he can handle it."
Jones completed a 20-yard pass on his first attempt of the game, before the Giants turned the ball over on downs. Andy Dalton followed by leading the Bengals on a 6-play, 70-yard scoring drive. The Bengals quarterback completed a 26-yard touchdown pass to C.J. Uzomah to cap off the scoring drive.
Jones completed three passes on the Giants' next drive, but the offense stalled once again and was forced to punt. The Bengals turned the ball over on downs on their first drive of the second quarter, handing the ball back to Jones' Giants. The first round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft led the Giants on a 7-play, 62-yard drive. The highlight of the drive was a 35-yard hookup from Jones to wide receiver Brittan Golden. Rod Smith finished the drive with a 1-yard rushing score.
Cincinnati answered with a 12-play, 48-yard drive. Randy Bullock hit a 50-yard field goal to tie the score at 10-10.
Jones completed his final seven passing attempts before leaving the game at halftime. The Giants and Bengals exchanged punts to open the third quarter before the Bengals scored a touchdown at the end of the quarter. The Giants opened the fourth quarter with a touchdown and converted a two-point conversion to take an 18-17 lead.
Brittan Golden returned a punt for a 68-yard touchdown for the Giants on the Bengals' next possession. The Bengals went on to score on a 7-play, 40-yard drive for the final points of the game.
Dalton completed 7-of-10 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown in the loss. Bengals backup Ryan Finley completed 14-of-20 passes for 155 yards. Quarterback Joel Dolegala completed 10-of-12 passes for 94 yards and two scores in relief for the Bengals.
"[Jones] just has a feel for playing the position. He steadily getting better every time he takes the field, whether it's practice or in games," Shurmur said.
The Giants battle the New England Patriots in their final preseason game at 7:30 p.m. EDT Thursday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. The Bengals host the Indianapolis Colts at 7 p.m. EDT Thursday at Paul Brown Stadium.
