EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants plan to start Drew Lock at quarterback for the second straight week, against the New Orleans Saints, coach Brian Daboll revealed.
Lock gets the nod over Tommy DeVito, who was limited at Wednesday’s practice with a forearm injury.
“Drew’s going to take all the reps with the [starting offense Wednesday] and he’ll be the quarterback this week,” Daboll said. “If Tommy is well enough to be [the] second quarterback, he will be, and if not, it’ll be [Tim Boyle]. But I think [DeVito is] trending in the right direction. We’ll see where he is.”
DeVito missed last week’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys because of the forearm contusion. The second-year quarterback, who was named the starter when the Giants benched Daniel Jones, was second in line among the quarterbacks at Wednesday’s practice. He seemed to be throwing the ball well during the portion of the workout open to the media.
DeVito went 21-of-31 passing for 189 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in a loss two weeks ago to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was his only start after being named the starter.
Lock went 21-of-32 passing for 178 yards with a touchdown run and an interception returned for a score and a lost fumble.
“I’d say Drew did some good stuff in Dallas,” Daboll said, when addressing why Lock would remain the starter. “He also did some things that he can improve on. I want to give him a full week of preparation practice to let him go out there and play this week.”
Lock made his first start with the Giants on one-day notice after it was determined DeVito couldn’t play because of his injury. That presented quite the challenge. He was sitting on the bench for a good 30 minutes before the game studying the game plan. Lock took 14 quarterback hits and was sacked six times against the Cowboys.
This week will be different in that at least he gets time to fully prepare. The Giants have 10 days between games after playing on Thanksgiving. Lock will also get to face the Saints’ 29th-ranked pass defense. New Orleans is allowing almost 250 yards per game through the air.
The injury-decimated Giants (2-10) remain five-point underdogs at home. Still, this might be there best chance to win a game the remainder of the season and snap a seven-game skid.
The Giants already placed star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence (elbow) and rookie tight end Theo Johnson (foot) on injured reserve earlier this week, ending their seasons. Johnson needed surgery on his foot.
Meanwhile, five other starters missed Wednesday’s practice. Cornerback Deonte Banks (ribs), linebacker Bobby Okereke (back), left tackle Jermaine Eluemunor (quad), right tackle Evan Neal (hip) and defensive lineman Rakeem Nunez-Roches (neck) all are in doubt for Sunday.
There is a chance that Lock is playing behind an offensive line with backups Chris Hubbard and Joshua Ezeudu at tackle.
