The New York Giants will face the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on Saturday in their second preseason clash of the exhibition season. The Giants are coming off a dominant 14-3 victory against the Detroit Lions, while Houston won its last game 20-12 in Pittsburgh against the Steelers.
The Giants’ terrific defensive effort against Detroit was led by Dyontae Johnson, who had two tackles for loss and a sack. New York allowed just 228 yards as a unit, and the only field goal for Detroit came off a bad turnover by backup quarterback Drew Lock.
After going out with a hip injury in the opener, Lock is reportedly doing “a lot better” according to head coach Brian Daboll. Lock is battling with second-year quarterback Tommy DeVito for the No. 2 quarterback spot. DeVito went 3-3 as a starter last year, throwing eight touchdowns to three interceptions. In the matchup against Detroit, he finished with 92 passing yards and no touchdowns.
It would be best for the team if Lock could suit up so that they can further gauge how they want to handle the quarterback room. While tough to carry three quarterbacks, the Giants may ultimately have to. If DeVito is cut, it seems likely that another team will sign him off waivers. It doesn’t help that Lock, a former second-round pick, looked sluggish in the opener, throwing for just 17 yards and an interception.
Highly-touted sixth overall pick Malik Nabers will not be suiting up in this one, as he has a minor ankle injury. Nabers somewhat surprisingly did suit up for the first preseason game, but he did not receive any targets during the first quarter, which was the only time he played. Giants fans will likely have to wait until the regular season to see their prized weapon in action.
A massive story for New York was their commanding run game against the Lions. They ran for 155 yards, led by second-year back Eric Gray. Gray had just four carries but ran for 52 yards and two touchdowns. He opened the scoring for New York with a dazzling move to evade safety Morice Norris on his way to the endzone for a 48-yard rushing touchdown.
“I’m just being me, last year I felt like I was making the game too much,” Gray said. “At the end of the day, it’s just football.”
Rookie Dante Miller was terrific in the win as well, rushing for 63 yards on 12 attempts, much of which came in the fourth quarter to help seal the game. Miller is dealing with a hamstring injury, but the Giants are hopeful that he will be able to go on Saturday.
“When it comes to the speed of the game, I was prepared,” Miller said. “We had joint practices, training camps, and OTAs so I was a lot more prepared than I thought I would be.”
Miller is competing for a roster spot, as the team also has rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr. He ran for 26 yards on five carries against Detroit. He has a low-ankle sprain so it is uncertain if he will suit up against Houston. Miller, for his part, has seemingly done everything right so far. It seems to just be a question of if New York will be willing to carry four running backs.
Lead back Devin Singletary did not play in the preseason opener, but should see the field for at least a few drives against his former team on Saturday. The veteran had 1,097 yards from scrimmage last season with the Texans and will look to lead a backfield that lost former pro-bowler Saquon Barkley in free agency.
Expect more defensive starters to play in this one as well. It would not be surprising to see star nose tackle Dexter Lawrence play for a few drives in this one. Prized offseason acquisition Brian Burns may suit up for this game too. Burns had eight sacks for the Panthers last season and is expected to make a huge impact on a revamped defensive line.
Overall, there are undoubtedly some fierce roster-spot competitions ongoing for Big Blue. This weekend will mark another big step in figuring out the roster for the regular season opener on Sep. 8th.
