Daniel Jones had his night cut short Thursday in the preseason finale against the Patriots, playing only the Giants' opening drive but picking up where he left off.

In his first career start as the Giants rested veteran starter Eli Manning, Jones manned the first-team offense for one drive and did what he has done all August, completing a perfect 4 of 4 passes for 47 yards vs. New England's defense.

Jones caps his first four games of action with a 29-for-34 clip (85.3 percent), 416 yards and two touchdowns to no interceptions.

Three minutes into the second quarter, Manning applauded the progress of Jones during a sideline interview with NBC's Bruce Beck.

"I think Daniel's doing a great job," Manning told Beck. "He's working hard. He's doing all the things right. He's in there early. He's asking questions. I enjoy working with him and getting to know him a lot better, and I think he's doing a great job and making plays on the field."

The latest outing for Jones comes on the heels of similar performances. He started off strong in the preseason opener Aug. 8 against the Jets, completing 5 of 5 passes for 67 yards and a touchdown.

His subsequent two appearances -- Aug. 16 against the Chicago Bears and last Thursday at the Cincinnati Bengals -- resulted in more positive flashes. Jones went 11 of 14 (78.6 percent) with 161 yards and a touchdown against the Bears before going 9 of 11 (81.8 percent) with 141 yards against the Bengals.

The sixth overall pick in April's draft, Jones is viewed as Manning's successor. While the Giants have maintained that Manning is the starter for 2019, Jones has turned heads with the small sample size of preseason action.

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