The Giants put quarterback Daniel Jones on the field for the first time in the preseason on Sunday and the outing had its ups and downs.
Jones was 17-of-22 for 135 yards, a touchdown and an interception while also being sacked twice. The turnover was an unhappy reminder of Jones’ foilbles the last couple of seasons and the sacks were a reminder that the offensive line is a question mark heading into the regular season.
Left tackle Andrew Thomas was drafted in the first round in 2020 to provide some answers, but Sunday night saw him get beaten on both sacks, give up another pressure and pick up a holding penalty.
After the game, Thomas said he thinks he’s improved after a rocky rookie year, “but there are a lot of things that I still need to work on.” He also knows that the sooner he nails those things down the better for all involved.
“Yeah, there’s definitely pressure, but I put pressure on myself,” Thomas said in a postgame press conference. “I know I’ve been given this role and I have worked hard to be here. I have to step up and go do what I have to do to play well.”
Giants head coach Joe Judge said he thinks Thomas is “going to be a better player a month from now, two months from now and the end of the season” than he is now and the speed of that improvement will likely have a lot to do with the Giants’ chances of making the offensive strides they need to make this year.