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New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones got his first snaps of the preseason and his first snaps since tearing his ACL last November as the Giants faced the Texans on Saturday in Houston.
Unfortunately, he was not at his best.
On New York’s second possession, Jones was pressured in his own end zone, and he was picked off by Jalen Pitre, which was returned five yards for a touchdown. On the Giants’ third possession, Jones was threw another interception as Houston’s Derek Stingley Jr. made a great play on a pass intended for Jaylin Hyatt.
Jones, who threw two interceptions in the first quarter, would lead the Giants on two scoring drives in the second quarter, including a beautiful throw to wide receiver Darius Slayton, which set up the team’s only touchdown of the day as the Giants fell to the Texans 28-10.
The six-year quarterback played each of the Giants’ five first-half possessions, covering 30 snaps. He completed 11 of 18 passes for 138 yards and gained 12 yards on his only rushing attempt.
Following the loss, Jones explained what happened on the pick-six.
“I think in a situation like that,” Jones said. Obviously, you’re being tackled in the endzone, so intentional grounding there is a safety also, so just making sure you dirt it at the feet so there’s no chance for intentional grounding, and obviously, you can’t take a sack there in the endzone.”
After being away for nine months, Jones said his body felt good.
“I feel good physically,” he said. “Yeah, the knee felt good. Felt really good and excited to be out there, grateful for all the people who’ve helped me get to this point, all the doctors and trainers and staff we have here who have helped me. It was fun to be out there. Didn’t start perfect, like I said, but we got going, and I felt good.”
Giants head coach Brian Daboll gave his thoughts on Jones’ performance against the Texans.
“I wanted to make sure we had enough plays where we were throwing it down the field, giving opportunities to throw it down the field,” Daboll said about Jones. “Again, there was some good things, good to get him out here and then a couple things we’ll learn from and that’s what these things are for.”
It’s only the preseason, so Jones’ performance is not alarming. However, considering the issues he’s had with turnovers in the past, New York can’t dismiss what they saw on Saturday.