NFL preseason results aren’t predictive. One only needs to recall the starting New York Giants offense looking like a well-oiled machine on its lone drive last preseason for evidence of that reality.
Still, it may have settled some of the angst in a restless fan base if quarterback Daniel Jones looked sharp in his first action since tearing the ACL in his right knee last November. Instead, Jones’ disastrous start in Saturday’s 28-10 loss to the Texans likely had some fans taking a look at the 2025 draft’s quarterback class.
Jones, who sat out last week’s preseason opener, was nearly intercepted on his first pass, when Texans cornerback Derek Stingley jumped a curl route run by rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers. The Giants then went three-and-out, with Nabers failing to make a one-handed catch on a well-thrown go route on third down.
On the second play of the Giants’ next drive, Jones faked a handoff and looked for tight end Theo Johnson in the left flat. With Johnson covered, Jones started to drift to his left into the path of defensive end Derek Barnett, who shed tight end Chris Manhertz’s block. With Jones in jeopardy of getting sacked in the end zone for a safety, he tried to throw the ball away in Johnson’s direction. But the pass sailed directly into the hands of Texans safety Jalen Pitre, who returned the interception five yards for a touchdown.
Jalen Pitre with the pick-6 ‼️
📱: Stream #NYGvsHOU on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/oYafzSWyjG
— NFL (@NFL) August 17, 2024
The Giants gained some momentum on their third drive, with Nabers making an impressive leaping catch for a 14-yard gain and Jones scrambling for 12 yards. But on first-and-10 from Houston’s 33-yard line, Jones took a deep shot to wide receiver Jalin Hyatt against Stingley. Hyatt was blanketed, and the throw was too far inside, allowing Stingley to catch the interception in stride at the 5-yard line.
The nightmare start was enough to make you wonder if it really cost too much to trade up for Drake Maye in this year’s draft.
IN. HIS. BAG.
📺: ABC13 pic.twitter.com/WM5ZsRwtF5
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) August 17, 2024
(Half) jokes aside, it is important to remember it’s the preseason. And even if it was unsettling that the start of Saturday’s game was reminiscent of the lowest points of Jones’ five seasons, it had to be considered that he was knocking off rust after recovering from a major injury.
The preseason isn’t the time to get conservative, so coach Brian Daboll continued to call for deep passes after the shaky start. On the next drive, Jones delivered a 44-yard strike to wide receiver Darius Slayton against backup corner Mike Ford to set up a touchdown.
Operating a hurry-up offense at the end of the first half, Jones got into a rhythm while operating from an unusually clean pocket. The Giants drove to Houston’s 13-yard line before stalling when Jones’ third-down pass was behind running back Eric Gray for an incompletion. The Giants settled for a field goal to end the starters’ afternoon with 10 points.
“Obviously the first quarter didn’t go how we wanted it,” Jones told reporters after the game. “Bad decision and a bad throw. I’d like to have that back. But I think overall we got some things going in the second quarter and executed, moved the ball. You want to finish with touchdowns, but I was happy with how we responded in that second quarter.”
It’s impossible to ignore that Jones settled down after Houston’s starters exited, while top pass rushers Will Anderson, Danielle Hunter and Denico Autry didn’t play at all. But the deep strike to Slayton was encouraging, as was Jones’ willingness to pull the trigger on throws downfield.
Deep to Slayton!
📺: FOX5/Giants App pic.twitter.com/EYMsFcwRAs
— New York Giants (@Giants) August 17, 2024
That aggression had been lacking from Jones in recent seasons. That will need to change if the Giants are going to have success this season. Their receivers’ big-play ability is the offense’s top asset.
“One of the plans was to call some play-actions, throw a bunch of deep balls today just to see how our line does, let (Jones) drop back, let him feel a little bit of rush when it’s live and then try to push the ball downfield, which has been a point of emphasis,” Daboll said. “First game back after a little bit of a layoff. Did some good things, but obviously all of us, we can do better.”
GO DEEPER
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Here are more takeaways from the Giants’ second preseason game:
Not good enough?
Nabers was hard on himself for failing to reel in the third-down pass on the opening drive. Stingley tugged on Nabers’ left arm, which forced the receiver to try to snag the pass with only his right hand.
Nabers showed why he holds himself to such a high standard with some impressive catches later in the game. The highlight was a leaping, twisting 21-yard catch with full extension on a back-shoulder throw from Jones on the two-minute drive at the end of the half. The Giants haven’t had a receiver capable of making that type of acrobatic catch since Odell Beckham Jr.
Nabers finished with four catches on six targets for 54 yards in one half. The expectation that he’ll be the focal point of the offense only grew stronger after his first game action.
Oh my, Malik Nabers 😳
📱: Stream #NYGvsHOU on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/DtWCdOb7Sd
— NFL (@NFL) August 17, 2024
Good enough
Perhaps Jones was thrown off by something he hadn’t experienced much in his first five seasons: quality pass protection. All of the disclaimers are warranted. The Texans didn’t play their top three edge rushers; there aren’t any exotic blitz packages in the preseason, etc. But it still was encouraging to see competent play from Jones’ protectors.
Starting left guard Jon Runyan missed the game due to a shoulder injury suffered on Monday that isn’t believed to be serious. Aaron Stinnie stepped in at left guard with Andrew Thomas at left tackle, John Michael Schmitz at center, Greg Van Roten at right guard and Jermaine Eluemunor at right tackle. After two series, Schmitz, who returned to action this week after missing eight practices with a shoulder injury, was replaced by Austin Schlottmann.
It wasn’t a perfect showing, as running back Devin Singletary tallied just 20 yards on 10 carries. But one of those was an easy 1-yard touchdown when the left side of the line cleared a big hole. Most importantly, the line looked like a functional unit after so many seasons of being a dysfunctional mess.
Singletary hops in for 6️⃣
📺: FOX5/Giants App pic.twitter.com/E2ox7We3Nu
— New York Giants (@Giants) August 17, 2024
Mixed reviews
The Giants defense saw less action against Houston’s starters due to Jones’ pick-six. Quarterback C.J. Stroud effortlessly carved up the Giants’ defense on Houston’s first drive until reaching the 7-yard line. The Giants stiffened there, with the Texans turning the ball over on downs after defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence batted a Stroud pass on fourth-and-goal from the 6-yard line. Stroud and the rest of Houston’s starters departed during the next drive when the first quarter ended.
Questions about the Giants’ secondary surfaced during Stroud’s limited action. No. 1 cornerback Deonte Banks was bullied by Texans wide receiver Nico Collins for a 24-yard gain on a curl route. Tight end Dalton Schultz got wide open for a 26-yard gain in a void in the middle of the zone defense. Cornerback Nick McCloud was beaten by wide receiver Tank Dell for a 23-yard gain on an out route that was negated by a holding penalty.
1️⃣2️⃣ NICE WITH IT 😮💨
📺: ABC13 pic.twitter.com/mTHXwRPkns
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) August 17, 2024
The Giants are going to need their pass rush to dominate to hide some of the deficiencies in the secondary. But the Giants didn’t get much pressure on Stroud despite Houston’s All-Pro left tackle Laremy Tunsil sitting out.
Rookie safety Tyler Nubin replaced Dane Belton alongside Jason Pinnock on the defense’s second series. Nubin blitzed and drew the holding penalty that negated the 23-yard completion to Dell. It seems inevitable the second-round pick will unseat Belton as the second starting safety before Week 1.
The personnel deployment of the starting defense was curious. All of the top starters — Lawrence, Banks, McCloud, outside linebacker Brian Burns, outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux — were removed on Houston’s third possession, but inside linebacker Bobby Okereke remained on the field.
Perhaps Okereke, who played every snap last season, wanted the additional conditioning. But then it was even stranger when Banks, McCloud, Burns and Thibodeaux returned to the field for Houston’s possession with 21 seconds left in the first half, which featured two handoffs before the teams retreated to the locker room. All of the starters were removed at halftime.
Out of place?
With rookie Dru Phillips sitting out with an ankle injury and veteran David Long not playing for unknown reasons, Isaiah Simmons and Tre Herndon split time as the first-team slot corner. It’s been hard to envision the 6-foot-4, 238-pound Simmons matching up with small, quick slot receivers. That mismatch was exploited when Texans wide receiver John Metchie easily beat Simmons on an out route for a 3-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
LET’S GO 8️⃣
📺: ABC13 pic.twitter.com/yqzwt8KJMi
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) August 17, 2024
Earning his way
Rookie defensive tackle Elijah Chatman showed his unique skill set when he chased Texans running back JJ Taylor for 45 yards to make a tackle. The 6-foot, 278-pound Chatman lacks size, but he’s strong and clearly has an impressive motor.
Chatman took snaps with the starting defense as the defensive tackle next to Dexter Lawrence on passing downs. The undrafted rookie drew a hold in the red zone while rushing Stroud.
Chatman is making a strong push to earn a roster spot, but he also was playing into the fourth quarter, which shows that nothing is locked up yet. But Chatman’s extended showcase Saturday should only help his cause.
Injury report
Injuries are the most consequential outcome of any preseason game. The Giants had their share of players go down Saturday, most notably starting inside linebacker Micah McFadden, who was carted off with a hip injury late in the first quarter. Starting defensive tackle Ryder Anderson also left with a hamstring injury late in the first quarter.
Backup inside linebacker and core special teamer Matthew Adams left in the third quarter with a groin injury. The Giants’ linebacker depth is being stretched, with Dyontae Johnson already sidelined by an ankle injury.
Third-team offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste left late in the game with a foot injury.
Daboll said after the game that wide receiver/returner Gunner Olszewski will be out “for a little while” after suffering a groin injury in Thursday’s practice. That could tip the scales toward Isaiah McKenzie in their battle for the returner job.
Right tackle Evan Neal didn’t play after returning to practice Sunday. Daboll said Neal wasn’t ready to play after an extended layoff following ankle surgery. Daboll said he’s hopeful Neal can play in the preseason finale against the New York Jets next Saturday.
Running back Dante Miller didn’t play after dealing with a hamstring injury during the week. Miller practiced on Thursday, but the team may have been exercising caution with the injury. They also may have been trying to limit exposure for the undrafted rookie if they’re hoping to sneak him through to the practice squad on cut day.
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(Photo: Tim Warner / Getty Images)
