When you turn the offense over to a rookie, there will be days like this and games like this and losses like this, and that is the way it goes.
Daniel Jones had his fingerprints all over the latest and worst Giants atrocity of the season, a 27-21 home-field loss to the Cardinals on Sunday afternoon at rainy MetLife Stadium, but he is not the only suspect to the crime of exhibiting bad football in public.
There was coach Pat Shurmur, making a series of questionable moves in the closing minutes. There was a run defense that turned previously little-known (outside of Fordham University) running back Chase Edmonds into a dynamo and an offensive line that made too many Jones drop-backs into run-for-your life escapades.
More and more, though, it is Jones and his penchant for putting the ball on the ground and throwing it to the wrong team that is compromising the Giants’ chances to win. He threw one interception and lost two fumbles against one of the league’s worst defenses, and, after winning his first two NFL starts, has lost his last three and left turnovers (seven in the last three games) all over the place like pumpkins in the field at your neighborhood fall festival.
“The reality is we’re 2-5,’’ veteran safety Michael Thomas told The Post, “and at some point we as men have to step up and say, ‘We don’t accept this.’ ’’
Reminded that some of the men, such as the 22-year old Jones, are very young men, Thomas did not back off.
“At this point they have seven NFL games under their belt,’’ Thomas said. “You’re not a rookie anymore, in our eyes. You’re battlefield-tested. Now it’s time to be grown men and make plays. That’s it. So it’s all of us.’’
Jones had some bright moments, but there is no doubt he was the second-best rookie quarterback on the field, even though Kyler Murray after a hot start basically was told after halftime to hand the ball off and get out of the way.
Rested after not playing in 10 days, the Giants looked ready for anything other than football as they sleep-walked through a miserable opening. Edmonds scored on matching 20-yard touchdown runs to power an inexcusable 17-0 deficit, which was trimmed to 17-7 after Jones fired expertly to tight end Rhett Ellison for a 28-yard touchdown. And it was 17-14 after Thomas blocked a punt and Eli Penny made the recovery in the end zone.
In the third quarter, Jones was sacked by Chandler Jones — whoever schemed having tight end Evan Engram block Chandler Jones needs to find a different scheme — when disaster struck. This was not pressure from behind, as Daniel Jones saw the defender rushing at him and failed to secure the ball as Chandler Jones punched it out for a fumble in Arizona territory. Less than a minute and a half later, the Cardinals pulled ahead 24-14 on Edmonds’ third rushing touchdown of the day.
“Obviously taking care of the ball is a big thing, and has been,’’ said Jones, who finished 22 of 35 for 223 yards, a touchdown and an interception. “To not do that is disappointing. I have to get better there.’’
Jones hung in and marched the Giants 82 yards, as Saquon Barkley, returning after missing three games with a high ankle sprain, muscled in from 7 yards out to cut the deficit to 24-21 with 8:13 remaining.
Here is where Shurmur made some, shall we say, unusual moves.
Another sack of Daniel Jones — Chandler Jones ran past right tackle Mike Remmers — made it second-and-18 and a Jones misfire made it third-and-18 with 3:11 to go. Shurmur determined it was two-down territory, but on third down Jones, with Shurmur’s blessing, checked into a draw play.
“Two-high, deep zone coverage,’’ Jones said. “Yeah, the check was running the ball.’’
The draw to Barkley picked up only 3 yards.
“I think it’s a great call,’’ Barkley said. “We knew we’re going to be in two-down territory. They played it well. If they drop back, like most teams on third-and-18, you’ve got one of your best playmakers with the ball in his hands.’’
Fourth-and 15 from the Giants’ 33-yard line was not a desirable situation, but Shurmur went for it anyway, and got a whole heap of trouble when Jones was sacked by Peterson on a blitz, fumbled again, and the Cardinals recovered on the Giants’ 17-yard line.
The Cardinals got ultraconservative — Murray threw only four passes in the second half — and kicked a field goal to go ahead by six points. The Giants got the ball back with 2:02 left and actually went backwards after the eighth and last sack of Jones.
“It was going to play out the way I thought,’’ Shurmur said. “Stop them, make them kick a field goal at the very least and then we go down and score a touchdown. We had the ball with a chance to go down and score a touchdown to win the game. And we didn’t do it.’’