New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones made his preseason debut against the Houston Texans on Saturday at NRG Stadium. Making his first start since tearing his ACL in November, Jones' return went about as poorly as possible. The sixth-year quarterback played the entire first half of the game along with the remainder of the starters, which was the plan from the start.
In total, Jones played five drives with the starting offense. He completed 11-of-18 passes for 138 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions and a 45.4 passer rating.
He certainly looked more comfortable in the second quarter, though that was after the Texans pulled their starters. It's understandable that Jones would look rusty in live action for the first time since suffering the season-ending injury, but this was probably close to a worst-case scenario. The Giants started the game with the ball.
The offense went three-and-out, and Jones' first throw was nearly intercepted by Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., who jumped a comeback route on a target to rookie Malik Nabers. The wheels fell off on the second drive.
Facing pressure in his own end zone after the defense stood strong to force a turnover on downs, Jones made the incredible baffling decision to avoid a throwaway. It resulted in a pick-six for Texans safety Jalen Pitre. Jalen Pitre with the pick-6 !!️ 📱: Stream #NYGvsHOU on #NFLPlus pic.
twitter.com/oYafzSWyjG Regardless of the fact that he's knocking off the rust from an injury, this is a decis.