New York Giants Cannot Escape Game vs. Detroit Lions Unscathed

The New York Giants opened their 2024 preseason at a rainy MetLife Stadium on Thursday night against the Detroit Lions. It was a rather uneventful evening, as the Giants won the game 14-3.

None of the intensity and physicality from the joint practices held during the week, where several fights broke out, carried over into the game. Both teams sat a lot of their starting players, as backups and rookies were able to get some playing time.

The rookie that everyone was most excited to see for the New York Giants was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, wide receiver Malik Nabers. The LSU star was on the field for 12 snaps and ran eight routes.

To the displeasure of the crowd, he was not targeted once. But, the route running and explosiveness that has been talked about all training camp was on full display. There were at least two instances he looked to have broken free and would have been able to record big plays had Drew Lock remained focused on him.

One of the reasons Lock was unable to get the ball to Nabers was that he was under siege all night. Playing behind the New York Giants’ second and third-team offensive line, the Detroit Lions were generating pressure with relative ease.

Lock was hit on multiple occasions, as New York was unable to follow the cardinal rule in exhibition games; don’t get players hurt. Late in the first quarter, Lock looked to have suffered a hip injury that ended his night.

He was replaced by Tommy DeVito, who handled all of the quarterback snaps the remainder of the night. The injury to Lock is something to keep a close eye on as the New York Giants are only carrying three quarterbacks currently.

Daniel Jones, the presumed starter, did not play against the Detroit Lions. A move will have to be made if it ends up that Lock is dealing with anything more than soreness. Relying on DeVito to play an entire preseason game, behind deep reserves along the offensive line, is a recipe for disaster.

While the New York Giants expressed confidence after the game that Lock would be okay, it is something to keep an eye on. With about four weeks remaining until the regular season, they need to ensure their starters and key backups are healthy once the games start to count.

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