Daniel Jones returned to the field with the New York Giants. It was good news, as he is returning from a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
The results? Well, thank goodness it’s only pre-season.
Jones’ first pass probably should have been intercepted by Houston Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. in Saturday’s game. On the Giants’ second drive, Jones threw one of the worst interceptions you’ll ever see in either the preseason or regular season.
Jones was under pressure, about to get a sack and a safety when he threw blindly to his left. It was an easy interception for Texans safety Jalen Pitre.
On the next drive, Jones threw a deep pass that was intercepted by Stingley. Throwing two interceptions in one quarter, with another pass that could have been intercepted, is not the outcome the Giants are looking for.
Again, it’s a good thing it doesn’t count.
Jones can be forgiven for being a little rusty. He’s recovering from knee surgery and didn’t play in last week’s preseason game. But it’s also a crucial season for Jones. The Giants were trying to move up in the NFL Draft, presumably to draft Jones’ replacement. They didn’t bring in anyone but Drew Lock, giving Jones a season to reestablish himself as the Giants’ quarterback of the future. Not that the preseason weighs heavily into overall decisions, but seeing him start off so poorly isn’t comforting.
There were some positive plays. He got rookie receiver Malik Nabers his first NFL preseason reception after two incomplete passes. Jones ran for 12 yards on a scramble, which was good given his knee injury from last season. In the second quarter, Jones had a big deep pass to Darius Slayton that gained 44 yards and set up a touchdown. It wasn’t all bad. It’s just that the interceptions will obscure any progress.
Jones enters the season with a lot of pressure to play well. The Giants aren’t going to be very good with him, though Nabers should help. The Giants, meanwhile, will put the preseason to one side and see what Jones does in a crucial regular season. It doesn’t get much worse than Saturday’s performance.