Giants have their work cut out for them if they want to turn their season around

Daniel Jones’ frustration was understandable.

Of course, if the Giants fan base is also unhappy, that, too, would also be warranted.

Yes, the Giants defeated the 1-2 Browns in Cleveland last weekend. But other than that, the season can be summed up by these words: Not good enough. Not even close.

Some of the first words Jones uttered to the media after the Giants' 20-15 loss to the Cowboys on Thursday night were these: "Very frustrating. Very frustrating. We're expected to score touchdowns and put points on the board. And in a game that I felt like we were able to do a lot and move the ball well and execute a lot of stuff well, we didn't execute the red zone stuff and didn't punch it in, so that's frustrating."

That the Giants have yet to score a touchdown in two home games is hard to explain. Field goals alone won’t get it done. The Giants made two of them against Minnesota and five on Thursday night. The scoring has been a significant issue and so has the running game.

When the Giants made it clear they did not want Saquon Barkley back, that was an organizational decision, and it had some merit. Barkley alone would not fix these Giants, by the way. But context matters. And, as an Eagle, Barkley will see the Giants twice this season, including in a few weeks on Oct. 20 at MetLife Stadium.

The Giants rushed for only 26 yards on 24 carries against the Cowboys, their lowest rushing total since they ran for 23 yards in a 34-17 loss to the Jets on Nov. 10, 2019. And the Cowboys represent a significant burr in their saddle: The Giants have lost seven in a row and 14 of their last 15 games to Dallas.

Before this most recent game, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott had few words for the media, saying only, “I’ll talk to you after we win." He did talk after throwing for 221 yards and two touchdowns.

This might not be a vintage Cowboys team, but it was good enough to leave MetLife Stadium victorious. The Giants, of course, have more pressing matters.

Brian Daboll said on Friday that rookie Malik Nabers was in concussion protocol. The only bright spot about that is that the Giants won't play again until Oct. 6 against the Seahawks in Seattle.

In the meantime, maybe the Giants petition the league to have their games played only on Sundays. We kid, but consider this: The Giants have lost their last nine games played on Thursday since 2016 and are 3-19 in prime time since 2018. They have two night games in October, at home vs. Cincinnati on a Sunday night and a Monday night game in Pittsburgh.

By Kimberly Jones

kimberly.jones@newsday.comkimjonessports

Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.