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HOUSTON — Daniel Jones’ first pass should’ve been intercepted, and his first true taste of contact led to a much bigger disaster.
In his first live action since tearing the ACL in his right leg last November, the Giants’ franchise quarterback lived a first-quarter nightmare Saturday as he threw two interceptions in the first 13 minutes, including one that was returned for an easy walk-in touchdown.
The results for Jones, head coach/play-caller Brian Daboll and the rest of the starting offense got slightly better as the first half went on — and not coincidentally after the Texans pulled their defensive starters.
“A little shaky at the start,” Jones said after a 28-10 loss to the Texans. “Knee felt good. It was fun to be out there. It didn’t start perfect, but we got going, and I feel good physically.”
But there is no hiding Jones’ final stat line in what could be his only game of the preseason entering a make-or-break year: He completed 11 of 18 passes for 138 yards and netted out a 45.8 passer rating while playing the first half
“One of the plans was to call some play-action and throw a bunch of deep balls today — to see how our line does in a dropback and feel a little bit of [pass] rush when it’s live,” Daboll said. “Push the ball down the field, which has been a point of emphasis.”
After a game-opening three-and-out featuring three straight passes to ease any return-to-action nerves, Jones started the second possession backed up against the shadow of his own end zone with zero margin for error.
He made a big one — and there was no way to blame this mistake on the rebuilt offensive line that marred last season.
Jones held the ball too long when nothing developed on second down, which left him in position to take a safety.
As he was being dragged down by Derek Barnett, Jones threw a wildly inaccurate pass behind rookie Theo Johnson and into the arms of Jalen Pitre, who returned it for a 5-yard touchdown.
“Intentional grounding there is a safety, so just making sure you dirt it at his feet,” Jones said. “Obviously, can’t take a sack there in the end zone.”
Daboll called it a “poor decision” that Jones agreed he “can’t afford.”
“Things I can correct,” Jones said, “and I’m confident I’ll be ready to go.”
The next series allowed Jones to show that he is physically back from reconstructive knee surgery as he scrambled for a 12-yard gain.
But, moments later, he threw his second interception, a self-described “bad throw” to Jalin Hyatt that Derek Stingley Jr. undercut for an interception in single coverage.
“He left [the throw] a little bit inside,” Daboll said. “Decision [was] fine. Stingley just made a nice play.”
Unlike one week ago, when Jones sat and Drew Lock started, the Giants made sure to get dynamic rookie receiver Malik Nabers involved early.
Or at least Daboll tried to by calling Nabers’ number on two of the first three passes, both of which fell incomplete.
Nabers, who was six days removed from an ankle sprain, caught four passes for 54 yards.
He flashed leaping ability, sideline footwork and his quick stop-start gear, after playing 12 snaps without a target last week.
“Good to do it in a game setting, for sure,” Jones said. “He made a few really nice catches out there.”
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans pulled his defensive starters after the first quarter, but it didn’t deter Daboll from giving his offense a full half of work.
It could be the only preseason test for the starters, given that Daboll could use Wednesday’s joint practice against the Jets as the big test instead of Saturday’s final exhibition game.
The Giants gained some momentum against the Texans backups, with Jones directing scoring drives of 68 and 64 yards.
A 44-yard go-route completion from Jones to Darius Slayton set up a 1-yard touchdown run for Devin Singletary.
“You don’t have time to let [an interception] affect your confidence or your mood,” Jones said. “I thought I did a good job of that.”
Jones operated a 12-play drive from the no-huddle offense late in the first half that ended on a 31-yard field goal by Graham Gano.
With Lock (hip) only available in case of emergency, Tommy DeVito quarterbacked the full second half, when the Giants committed the last three of a debilitating five turnovers.
“It’s always important getting on a rhythm and trying to find what we can do,” Hyatt said. “It’s the first preseason game for us playing together. A lot of things we need to correct and get better.”
