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Studs and duds from New York Giants’ Week 2 preseason loss to Texans

The New York Giants allowed their starters to play a full half on Saturday against the Houston Texans and the results were mixed. There was a lot of good — especially along the offensive line — and then some bad. Quarterback Daniel Jones was most of the bad.

Injuries were also a major theme of the game with the Giants losing quite a few players, some with more serious issues than others. It’s something that will be worth monitoring in the coming days.

When all was said and done, the Texans picked up a 28-10 victory, dropping the Giants’ record to 1-1 during the exhibition season.

Here is a look at some of the studs and duds (and studly duds) from the Week 2 preseason loss.

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The entire offensive line played extremely well on Saturday but left tackle Andrew Thomas stood tall above the rest. To the naked eye, he didn’t lose a single rep and was stonewalling anyone who attempted to get around him. Stunts and blitzes didn’t cause Thomas to bat an eye. He looks back to elite form.

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It was an absolutely brutal start for quarterback Daniel Jones. He threw a near interception on his first pass of the game, tossed an ugly pick-6 on the following series on a very avoidable play, and then failed to back-shoulder wide receiver Jalin Hyatt for a second interception.

Jones, to his credit, settled in after that and made several nice throws but closed out the second quarter with a pass behind running back Eric Gray, costing the Giants a chance for a game-tying touchdown.

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Nose tackle Dexter Lawrence is a man among boys. There’s really no other way to put it and Saturday’s performance was really just more of the same. Sexy Dexy was a monster inside, clogging up run lanes and collapsing the pocket. He may not have recorded a tackle, but he did bat down a third-down pass and like Thomas, didn’t appear to lose a rep.

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The Giants intend to rely on Azeez Ojulari in a Justin Tuck-like role but he was less than impactful against the Texans. He was routinely beaten in one-on-one matchups, generated little to no pressure, failed to set the edge, and simply didn’t factor in despite seeing a good amount of time on the field. The defense needs much more from him.

The sole positive from Ojulari on Saturday was a third-quarter sack/forced intentional grounding.

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Rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers did have a drop on third-down of the opening series and that deserves criticism. He will be relied on in big situations and he must come through. But Nabers quickly shrugged that misstep off and then played a very solid game, complete with a big-time catch in the second quarter. He finished the game with four receptions for 54 yards.

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When you’re on the roster bubble, you can’t afford to make mental mistakes on the field. Unfortunately for wide receiver John Jiles, that’s exactly what he did against the Texans. After hauling in a 20-yard catch and run, Jiles forgot about the defenders tracking him and allowed cornerback Lonnie Johnson Jr. to pick his pocket. Not only did it end a drive and cost the Giants some points, but it effectively sealed the game for Houston.

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This spot is usually reserved for a “studly dud” but rookie defensive tackle Elijah Chatman deserves his flowers. He played so well that it warranted more than “other stud” recognition.

If you were to look at the box score, you’d see a single tackle for Chatman and nothing more, but his impact was much greater than that. And his best play of the day didn’t even count. It did, however, show his hustle.

Chatman also drew a holding penalty.