The New York Giants will play their first preseason game on Thursday night when they take on the New York Jets, which means that rookie quarterback Daniel Jones will make his NFL debut.

The Giants have kept their plans under wraps in terms of how many snaps they will have Jones and Eli Manning playing in this game, but, chances are, Jones will see a decent amount of playing time. After all, New York did take him with the sixth overall pick in the draft.

There have been a whole lot of doubters and naysayers who have ripped the Giants for taking Jones over Dwayne Haskins, but Jones will get the chance to begin proving New York right on Thursday evening.

So, here are three goals for Jones in his first preseason contest.

3. Stick With What You Do Best

Part of the reason why the Giants took Jones ahead of Haskins was because that Jones has mobility that Haskins simply does not possess, and in a league that is valuing athleticism from the quarterback position more and more, New York's thought process in that regard adds up.

Jones has very quick feet and became very adept at making plays with his legs at Duke, as he totaled 1,323 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns during three collegiate seasons.

He isn't Lamar Jackson, but he is unquestionably an athletic signal-caller who can get out of the pocket and make things happen on the run, which is what the Giants want.

If he sticks with that game plan on Thursday night, he should have some success.

2. Don't Force Anything

There is nothing wrong with throwing the ball away when nothing is opening up down the field, especially in a preseason game. Let's remember that Jones will be without Sterling Shepard for this game, and with Corey Coleman also out for the season, he isn't exactly going to have a ton of options outside of Golden Tate (who is eligible to play in the preseason in spite of his pending four-game suspension).

So, if no one is open and the Jets defense is playing good, tight coverage, Jones shouldn't force anything. Instead, he should merely tuck the ball and try to gain some yardage on the run or merely throw the ball out of bounds.

There is no worse confidence-dropper for a rookie quarterback than throwing interceptions, so Jones should do whatever he can to avoid that in his first outing.

1. Stay Cool

The spotlight will certainly be on Jones on Thursday night. Not just because he is a rookie quarterback or a first-round pick, but because he is set to succeed Manning as the next quarterback of the New York Giants.

Not everyone can handle New York. Eli has done it masterfully throughout his career, which has helped him lead the Giants to a couple of Super Bowl titles. The Giants seem to think Jones has a similar makeup.

What Jones needs to keep in mind is that he is not competing for a starting job. Manning has the No. 1 job locked down, so Jones can feel free to play without any constraints or worries that he might lose his spot.

This is obviously easier said than done, as New York isn't exactly forgiving like Arizona or Denver, but it will be the biggest key to Jones having a solid debut.