New York Giants Drop Preseason Opener to Jets, 12-7

The Giants offense, which sat most of its starters, struggled in the preseason opener.
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.--The Giants lost their preseason opener to the New York Jets 12-7 at MetLife Stadium Saturday night. But that score was the least of the Giants' worries.

New York's starting offensive line had an up and down evening in its limited snaps. And its depth took another hit when second-year man Kyle Murphy left the game in the third quarter on a cart with an ankle injury.

And the Giants' offense managed just 92 net yards in the first three quarters of play, including minus-9 yards in the third quarter.

Still, the Giants managed to make a game of it as midway through the fourth quarter, linebacker T.J. Brunson delivered a hit and forced a fumble after Jets tight end Kenny Yeboah caught a pass.

Cornerback Rodarius Williams alertly scooped up the loose call and returned it 29 yards to the Jets 17-yard line, and then three plays later, Thorson found receiver Damion Willis in the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown to get the Giants on the board with 7:06 left.

For the first three quarters, it was all Jets. On their opening drive, Gang Green got on the board when rookie quarterback Zack Wilson, who finished his first preseason action completing six of nine passes for 63 yards, engineered a 12-play, 52-yard drive that ended with a 30-yard field goal by kicker Chris Naggar and ate 6:06 off the clock.

The Jets then made it 10-0 with 3:27 left in the third quarter on a four-yard touchdown run by running back LaMical Perine, putting the icing on an 11-play, 68-yard drive that saw New York surrender a 20-yard reception by receiver Denzel Mims from quarterback Mike White on a 3rd-and-18.

The final points came when the Jets recorded their fifth sack of the day, a sack shared by Jonathan Marshall and Hamilcar Rasheed against Clayton Thorson in the end zone for the safety.

The Giants offense, which other than for most of its starting offensive line sat its starters, was lifeless on the first drive, a three-and-out that saw starting quarterback Mike Glennon pressured twice and sacked once.

But the Giants, on a later drive, actually had a chance to at least tie the game when they crossed into the red zone. Unfortunately, running back Corey Clement lost the handle on the ball at the Jets' 7-yard line, the defense recovering it and squashing the scoring drive.

The Giants will visit the Cleveland Browns next weekend for a pair of joint practices before their preseason meeting on Sunday, August 22, a game in which the Giants are expected to field more of their starters on offense and defense.


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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.