HOUSTON — Daniel Jones’ first pass should have been intercepted, but his first real contact led to even greater disaster.
The Giants’ franchise quarterback, playing his first game since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right leg last November, had a nightmare first quarter Saturday, throwing two interceptions in the first 13 minutes, one of which easily went for a touchdown.
Jones, head coach/play-caller Brian Daboll and the rest of the starting offensive line performed a little better as the first half went on, and that, not coincidentally, came after the Texans went down a defensive starter.
“I was a little nervous at the beginning,” Jones said after the 28-10 loss to the Texans. “The knee felt good. It was fun to go out there. It wasn’t a perfect start, but my game is picking up and I’m feeling good physically.”
But Jones’ final numbers, in what may be his only preseason game heading into a make-or-break year, were hard to hide: He completed 11 of 18 passes for 138 yards and a 45.8 passing rating in the first half.
“Part of the plan today was to call play-action and throw a lot of deep balls, see how the line moves on the drop backs and get a little feel for it,” said Brown. [pass] “When the game starts, hurry up,” Daboll said. “Pushing the ball down the field is what we’ve emphasized so far.”
After inflicting three straight passes early in the game to ease any doubts about getting back into the game, Jones began his second attempt with his back to the shadows of his own end zone with no room for error.
He made a big mistake, and he couldn’t blame it on the rebuilt offensive line that marred last season’s performance.
Jones wasn’t making any progress on second down and held the ball for too long, putting him in position for a safety.
While being dragged down by Derek Barnett, Jones threw a wildly inaccurate pass behind rookie Theo Johnson that ended up in the arms of Jalen Pitre, who returned it for a 5-yard touchdown.
“It was a safety who purposely put the ball on the ground there, so I made sure it was at his feet,” Jones said. “Obviously, you can’t get sacked in the end zone.”
Daboll called it a “bad decision” and Jones agreed, saying they “cannot afford it.”
“There are some things we can fix,” Jones said. “I’m confident we’ll be ready.”
On the next series, Jones fought his way back for a 12-yard gain, proving he was physically recovered from reconstructive knee surgery.
But moments later, he had his second interception, a pass to Jalin Hyatt that he described as a “bad pass” that was intercepted by Derek Stingley Jr. in single coverage after being undercut.
“He left [the throw] “A little bit on the inside,” Daboll said. “The decision [was] It’s OK. Stingley played great.”
Unlike a week ago, when Jones was benched and Drew Lock started, the Giants made sure to use dynamic rookie receiver Malik Neighbors early on.
Daboll at least attempted passes to Neighbors on two of his first three passes, both of which were unsuccessful.
Neighbors, six days removed from a sprained ankle, caught four passes for 54 yards.
He played 12 snaps last week without a target and showed off his leaping ability, sideline footwork and quick stop-start gear.
“It was definitely good to have it on the field,” Jones said. “He made some really nice catches out there.”
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans dropped his defensive starters after the first quarter, but Daboll never let up on his offensive efforts throughout the first half.
This may be the starting pitchers’ only preseason test, as Daboll likely uses Wednesday’s practice with the Jets as the big test rather than Saturday’s final exhibition game.
The Giants got some momentum going against the Texans’ reserves, with Jones leading scoring drives of 68 and 64 yards.
Jones completed a 44-yard go-route pass to Darius Slayton, which set up Devin Singletary’s 1-yard touchdown run.
“You have [an interception] “It affects your confidence and your mood,” Jones said. “I think I’ve done a good job in that regard.”
Jones orchestrated 12 no-huddle drives late in the first half, culminating with Graham Gano’s 31-yard field goal.
With Lock (hip) available only as an emergency, Tommy DeVito served as quarterback for the full second half, and the Giants committed the final three of their five turnovers.
“It’s always important to get into a rhythm and figure out what we can do,” Hyatt said. “It’s our first preseason game together and there’s a ton of things we need to fix and improve on.”
