If you were looking for a clear frontrunner in the Dallas Cowboys' backup quarterback battle, Saturday night's win over the Seahawks didn't help.
Both Sam Howell and Joe Milton looked good in Seattle and yielded nearly identical statistical results. If these preseason games are how Dallas is going to decide between them, this first one has to be considered a draw.
The idea that the competition will come down to the August games isn't ours, but came from Brian Schottenheimer. Dallas' head coach said as much last Thursday, telling the press that the "bulk of the evaluation" of Howell and Milton will come from the preseason.
It makes sense: these games are much more akin to real football than what happens on the practice field. It's still not the regular season, of course, and that's been proven time and again by quarterbacks who light up the field in preseason and then look quite pedestrian otherwise.
But with both Howell and Milton now having enough developmental time for the basics, showing their ability to command the offense and adjust to a foreign defense is the best way to gauge their readiness to be Dak Prescott's backup.
Cowboys QBs Sam Howell and Joe Milton looked good vs. the Seahawks
Howell got the first half and Milton got the second. Last week, ahead of the joint practice with the Rams, Dallas released an "unofficial" depth chart that had Milton listed first. Howell getting the start in Seattle felt like the Cowboys' way of balancing that out, not a statement about who the current leader was in the QB2 battle.
Even if Howell was slightly edging Milton before Saturday, and there has been talk that he's been doing that in training camp, the Seahawks game may have pulled Milton even again.
Statistically, it was neck-and-neck: Howell went 8/12 for 94 yards, one touchdown, and a 118.1 passer rating. Milton went 12 of 15 for 107 yards, one touchdown, and a 118.6 rating.
Ball security? Also quite even. Neither threw a pick, and really didn't seem to be putting the ball in harm's way. Sometimes you see a QB getting away with bad decisions because the defense just doesn't capitalize, but both Howell and Milton showed good judgment in when and where they threw. Both looked calm and comfortable in the offense.
The two QBs even looked similar in their rushing ability. Howell had the better stat line, 15 yards on just two carries compared to 10 yards on seven carries for Milton. But Howell's one 10-yard scramble made the difference there, and Milton was playing behind the third-string offensive line.
You can't really take much from this aspect of the competition, other than to say that both guys showed their mobility at times.
Even situationally, it's hard to distinguish between them. Howell and the offense got off to a slow start, but put together a 65-yard drive to score a touchdown and take the lead right before halftime. Then Milton came out and led an 84-yard drive to increase that lead with a touchdown, but went fairly quiet from there.
If you're going to give one guy a checkmark here, it'd be Howell for adapting and performing in a two-minute drill.
Two more rounds to go in Sam Howell vs. Joe Milton
The next opportunity for evaluation comes this Saturday in Arizona, then the following Friday night against New Orleans. As the window to prove themselves narrows, how will Howell and Milton respond? Will the calmness we saw in Seattle start to crack, at least in one of them, as the pressure mounts?
That's one thing you really should praise Milton for right now. This was his job last year, but it was clear when Dallas added Howell that he was going to have to fight for it.
But that's exactly what he showed against the Seahawks: the willingness to fight and the ability to keep his composure while doing so. That's such a vital trait in a backup QB, being able to step up and play but not let your personal ambition override good judgment.
Clearly, it's been a good summer for both Sam Howell and Joe Milton so far, and this first preseason game only added to it. The QB2 competition is far from decided, and thankfully, it's because both guys are doing well.
With Prescott now 33, who's backing him up becomes all the more important. Hopefully, when this competition is over, we'll all feel good about the next man up at quarterback.
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