Well, that wasn’t the debut David Wilson was hoping for.
The rookie running back, the Giants’ first-round draft pick this April, had a big fumble in last night’s season-opening 24-17 loss to the Cowboys at MetLife Stadium.
The miscue killed a drive in the first quarter, and Wilson never got another carry the rest of the game.
Asked if the fumble prompted the Giants to stay away from Wilson, Tom Coughlin replied, “Probably a little bit, sure.”
Wilson now has to show he can be reliable handling the ball.
“Most definitely,” Wilson said when asked if he had to re-earn trust. “Show that I’m conscious about the ball in practice and fortunately get back on the field again and start making plays.”
The fumble happened with the Giants driving on their second possession, facing a second-and-8 from the Dallas 29. Wilson, who had one carry for three yards earlier on the drive, ran to his left and picked up two yards but fumbled when linebacker Sean Lee hit him. The Cowboys recovered, and the drive was for naught.
“It just happened,” Wilson said. “Can’t let it happen anymore, though.”
While Wilson didn’t get another carry the rest of the night, he handled two more kick returns from that point (three kick returns overall) and never coughed it up.
Said Osi Umenyiora of Wilson’s fumble, “He’s a rookie. Everybody makes mistakes.”
Wilson insisted his confidence is unshaken, but admitted it wasn’t easy to let the fumble go since he didn’t get any more chances.
“It’s hard to put it behind you when that’s the last play you remember,” he said. “I know I didn’t have much room for error as a rookie.”
Other than a late 33-yard run by Ahmad Bradshaw, the Giants’ running game did zero. The Giants rushed 19 times for 82 yards.
“Disappointing,” guard Chris Snee said. “But like I said last year, we’re gonna keep plugging away.”
mark.hale@nypost.com