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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Giants were getting their starting quarterback back. Theoretically, that would make their offense better. Except that didn't seem to account for Daniel Jones not being 100% and perhaps being a bit rusty after missing last week's win against Seattle with a hamstring injury. Jones and the Giants' offense were shut out in the first half and lost 26-7 on Sunday to the Arizona Cardinals at MetLife Stadium. Colt McCoy, who started last week in Jones' place, played the final drive. Jones went 11-of-21 passing for 127 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and three fumbles (one lost). He now has 28 fumbles in his first 25 career games, second most behind Tony Banks in the Super Bowl era (since 1966), per the Elias Sports Bureau. The second-year quarterback clearly couldn't run, which had become a big part of his repertoire. Jones came into the contest with 403 rushing yards, second on the team. He did not attempt a rush in Sunday's loss as he managed the hamstring injury, and was sacked six times in part due to his lack of mobility. At one point when Jones trotted off the field in the third quarter, he looked like a quarterback that was noticeably gimpy. As a result, so was the Giants' offense. The loss ended a four-game win streak and at least temporarily put the Giants (5-8) in second place in the NFC East. The Giants were a mess in the first half, when they compiled a paltry 58 yards. Jones was 6-of-12 passing for 44 yards and they didn't cross midfield until the third quarter. It's not as if the Giants offense had come in on fire. New York was winning on the back of a strong defense, with the offense relying on a strong rushing attack that allowed them to produce just enough points to win some games. The Giants came into Sunday having scored the third-fewest points in the NFL, averaging under 20 points per game. With a hobbled quarterback and an offense out of sync, they couldn't even get to 20 on Sunday. It was the third straight game they failed to reach 20 points. In order to win the division, that will need to change over the final three weeks.  Silver lining: Worst-case scenario is that the Giants finish the day one game behind Washington (5-7 entering it's game vs. San Francisco) in the NFC East. They can just chalk this up to a bad afternoon, their first in five games.
The Giants still have three games remaining -- against Cleveland, Baltimore and Dallas -- and likely need to win two. It's difficult but doable. They've been incredibly focused even throughout their early-season struggles, refusing to focus on the NFC East and instead on the task at hand. This upcoming week that means a tough Browns team. Stat of the day: 1.39 yards of separation for Darius Slayton in the first half. That was wide receiver Slayton's distance between him and the nearest defender when the ball arrived in the first half. It was the most of any of the Giants' non-running backs before halftime. Golden Tate was at 0.39 yards on his one target. Tight end Evan Engram was at 0.84 yards and Kaden Smith 1.24. Sterling Shepard surprisingly wasn't targeted. The Giants' pass-catchers just weren't winning off the line of scrimmage in the first half. It made it difficult for Jones and the Giants' passing game.
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