Giants win preseason opener despite Drew Lock’s uninspiring night

Memo to the Giants quarterbacks: When Malik Nabers is open — that might be quite often — throw it to him. 

Coach Brian Daboll kept almost all of his starters off the field for Thursday night’s preseason opening 14-3 victory over the Lions at rain-soaked MetLife Stadium but he decided to put Nabers out there, wanting to give the explosive rookie wide receiver a few snaps in a live game. 

On the very first play, Nabers got deep and was running by himself on a go-route, but Drew Lock did not spot him and kept the ball for a 5-yard scramble. 

“Drew thought he saw something with the safety coming down on the tight end so he pulled the trigger … he tried to make the smart decision,” Daboll said. 

On the third offensive series, Nabers again broke free, and again, Lock did not deliver the ball, instead escaping the collapsing pocket and scrambling for no gain.

The Giants certainly hope Nabers continues to get open and that when Daniel Jones, their starting quarterback, gets in the action, he fires it to him once the real games are here. 

“It felt good to be back on the football field, playing a real game,” Nabers said. “We had a plan. I wasn’t sure if I was playing. I did a very good job of getting open, but everything has to go my way to get the ball. 

“It was kind of slippery out there. I think I could’ve done a better job of creating separation, getting better looks for the QB to throw the ball in better spots. That’s all I can do — continue to do what I do.” 

It was a rough and brief outing for Lock.

He was hit several times, and with 2:03 remaining in the first quarter, he was leveled by defensive lineman Nate Lynn and was slow to get back to his feet.

He appeared to be favoring his left side as he made his way to the bench, his night’s work prematurely ended with a hip injury.

That forced him out of the game, and Tommy DeVito, a fan favorite, took the field to cheers from the sparse crowd on the wet evening as he entered the game earlier than scheduled. 

General manager Joe Schoen on the television broadcast said Lock is fine and could have gone back in the game, if needed. Daboll said Lock is “sore’’ and projected, “I don’t foresee it being a long time.’’ 

Daboll opted to keep Jones and his surgically repaired right knee on the sideline, and seeing Lock go down — operating behind the second-team offensive line — could make Daboll hesitant to start Jones in either of the two remaining preseason games. 

Lock in a rough outing completed 4 of his 10 passes for 17 yards and tossed an interception directly into the hands of safety Brandon Joseph. 

DeVito (8-of-15, 92 yards) was sacked on his first snap but shook off a slow start.

He completed passes to running back Eric Gray out of the backfield and tight end Tyree Jackson over the middle to set up Gray’s 48-yard touchdown run with 9:12 left in the second quarter.

Gray later added a second scoring run in a strong performance. 

With the Giants expected to keep only two quarterbacks, DeVito’s spot on the roster is tenuous, at best. Lock, 27, back in mid-March was signed to a one-year deal worth $5 million.

He was not the Giants’ first choice.

They wanted to bring back Tyrod Taylor, their backup quarterback in 2022 and 2023, but the 35-year-old opted to head to the Jets to work behind Aaron Rodgers on a two-year contract for $11 million. 

This was a game for backups. The starting offensive line had the night off, other than Aaron Stinnie, who is listed on the depth chart as the right guard but could be supplanted by Greg Van Roten once he gets up to speed with the playbook. 

On defense, none of the established starters took the field, other than second-year cornerback Deonte Banks. Safety Dane Belton, working with the first team all summer, also started. 

At least it was calm on a soggy night. These teams knocked heads for two days this week and fists were flying, with a dozen fights and altercations halting the action and leading to overheated emotions.

The NFL took notice and both teams were fined $200,000 for these antics — the league issued a memo/warning last month reminding teams that “fighting and unprofessional conduct at joint practices would not be tolerated.” 

This was the first look at Daboll as a play-caller on offense, as he is taking over that role this season after offensive coordinator Mike Kafka called the plays the past two seasons.

Daboll kept his play-sheet protected from the rain with a plastic tent.

He might have called for a few deep shots early, but Lock, often flushed out of the pocket, did not launch the ball.