ARLINGTON, Texas — No one expected great or even very good things from Drew Lock in his first start for the Giants. Most of all, he had to avoid doing what he had done far too often in his previous starting stints with the Broncos and Seahawks.
Lock had to avoid a big mistake. And he couldn't do it in a key moment in the second quarter of the Giants' 27-20 loss to the Cowboys on Thanksgiving at AT&T Stadium.
Locking on for the first offensive series, he scrambled 28 yards for a 1-yard touchdown to Tyrone Tracy, giving the Giants a 7-3 lead. They led 7-6 and had a relatively good feel heading into the second possession. It didn't last long, it didn't go well, and the lead was in the red.
On first down, the Giants were setting up a screen pass to Devin Singletary.
Linebacker Demarvion Overshawn came rushing forward, nearly overpowering Singletary and forcing the 203-pound runner back a step.
Singletary then tried to break free, but Lock had to wait a moment before throwing the ball over Overshawn.
Instead, Lock threw a flat pass that Obershawn deflected with his arm and into the air to intercept with his own hands. That started the race with a 23-yard pick-six to give the Cowboys a 13-7 lead early in the second quarter.
Head coach Brian Daboll thought it could be a huge benefit for the Giants.
“Yeah, he thought he could get away with it better than layering on top,” Daboll said. “Really, there was no one else there. The guy that was covered, that guy, that guy played great.”
When asked about the play, Lock replied, “Hmm.”
“It was a classic,” he said. “I thought it was enough to push it in there. He made a good play. He got his hands on it, tipped it and got it back.
“Looking back now that something like that happened, let's just make a quick mess. I was able to get away with it. Then you're taking a risk when you let it float. Because when you tip it, you have to wait a little bit, so the offensive linemen downfield start working on the screen. … So let it float or keep it at your feet.”
Early in the third quarter, Lock scrambled and lost the ball on a fumble.
This is often the case with Locke, who racks up sales as if he were working in a bakery.
He had a proven track record as a gunslinger and came to the Giants on a $5 million, one-year contract, but not in a good way.
He has 28 touchdown passes and 23 interceptions, which are terrible ratios for a quarterback.
He had his “best” season with the Broncos in 2020, throwing 16 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions. He has a reputation for taking and giving with equal frequency.
“I thought Drew did a good thing,” Daboll said. “But you know, we had two big turnovers. You can't have turnovers like that.”
