Giants head coach Brian Daboll on assessing Daniel Jones' inconsistent performance against the Texans: "That's the purpose of these games."

Daniel Jones took a leap back into the action on Saturday, and it was clear he needed time to find his rhythm.

In his first game since tearing his ACL last November, Jones' comeback started off rocky against the Houston Texans. Despite an initial struggle, he managed to ease some concerns for the Giants' faithful.

Head coach Brian Daboll acknowledged both the mistakes and the positives in his postgame press conference, underscoring the purpose of preseason games.

"That's what these games are for," Daboll said. "They're part evaluation, but there's also a plan going in. It's different from a regular-season game where you're focused on schemes. I wanted to ensure we had enough deep throws and chances to test our downfield passing. We saw some good things, and there are areas to learn from—that’s what these games are for."

The initial results were less than ideal, and whatever expectations Jones and the Giants had quickly unraveled.

On his first play, Jones threw a risky pass right into the chest of Houston cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. While it didn’t result in immediate damage, the Giants couldn’t capitalize or advance. On his next drive, Jones tried to avoid a safety by making a desperate throw from his end zone, only to hand a pick-six to safety Jalen Pitre.

"Bad decision and a bad throw," Jones admitted. "In that situation, being tackled in the end zone, intentional grounding would result in a safety. I should have thrown it at the receiver's feet to avoid grounding. You can't take a sack in the end zone."

Jones showed some improvement on his subsequent drive, including a bold 12-yard scramble. However, he again turned the ball over by underthrowing a deep pass intended for Jalin Hyatt, which Stingley intercepted.

In his first five snaps, Jones faced a three-and-out and a pick-six. By the end of the first quarter, the offense had only managed 43 yards and two turnovers.

Despite the rough start, Jones used the entire first half to regain his form.

The 27-year-old connected on all three of his passes for 52 yards during the first drive of the second quarter, highlighted by a 44-yard completion to Darius Slayton. This set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Devin Singletary.

Jones orchestrated a field goal drive before halftime, notably involving rookie standout Malik Nabers with three catches for 40 yards.

"I think we got some momentum in the second quarter, executed well, and moved the ball," Jones said. "I was pleased with our response in that quarter."

Jones finished the game 11 of 18 for 138 yards with two interceptions and led two scoring drives. The Giants eventually fell 28-10.

The game didn’t end as a triumph, especially after the rocky start and with some catches by Nabers requiring remarkable effort. However, Jones improved as the game progressed and, most importantly, emerged from the game without further injury.

"I feel good physically," Jones said. "It was great to be out there. I'm thankful for everyone who helped me get to this point—the doctors, trainers, and staff. It was fun to play, even though it didn’t start perfectly. We got things moving, and I feel good physically."