It would have felt awkwardly timed for the Giants to bench Daniel Jones after his first three-touchdown game in 413 days.
And so head coach Brian Daboll instead announced Monday that things will remain status quo at quarterback even though the Giants have lost four straight to drop to 2-7 and have less than a one-percent chance to reach the playoffs, according to various analytics sites.
But the schedule dictates that Jones might be making his last stand Sunday when he starts against the Panthers in a battle of two-win also-rans to be played in Germany ahead of the bye week.
If the Giants — who are favored for the first time in the last 25 games — beat the Panthers, Jones should be able to prolong his time as the starter under the common “gives us the best chance to win” justification.
It would feel wrong to bench Jones off of a victory.
And then it would feel difficult to bench Jones during a short week of preparation before a nationally televised Thanksgiving game against the Cowboys to end November.
If the Giants lose to the Panthers with Jones making the 69th start of his six-year career, however, Daboll can mull a quarterback change during the bye or use the extra time to prepare Drew Lock to play Nov. 24 against the Buccaneers.
For now, however, nothing changes in terms of practice reps, Daboll said, after Jones completed 20 of 26 passes for 174 yards (all in the second half) and two touchdowns in a loss to the Commanders.
He also scored a rushing touchdown and lost a fumble on a quick strip sack.
“He was doing what he was supposed to do,” Daboll said. “He was accurate with the ball. He … had an opportunity to even have some more completions in there. A few plays that we’d like to have back — obviously that turnover was huge — but he did his job.”
The Giants will signal Tuesday whether the focus remains on the present or has shifted to the future with their handling of the NFL trade deadline.
If outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari and/or receiver Darius Slayton is dealt for draft picks, it will be incongruent with continuing to start Jones.
There is no bigger threat to bettering the Giants’ long-term prospectus than risking a quarterback injury once the team has been further weakened.
Jones’ contract includes an injury guarantee that escalates the dead salary-cap hit if he is released after the season — a seemingly inevitable fate if the losses keep mounting — from a manageable $22.2 million to an unwieldy $45 million if he cannot pass a physical by March 25, 2025.
Team owner John Mara recently declined to comment on Jones’ injury guarantee, but similar clauses have led to the benchings of Jimmy Garoppolo (Raiders) and Russell Wilson (Broncos).
“D.J. probably gets [criticism] the worst across the NFL because you are in that New York/New Jersey market,” third-string quarterback Tommy DeVito told The Post. “It’s really cutthroat. That’s the thing about being a quarterback: We get a lot of praise and a lot of hate — rightfully so, with the position we play … but we have his back always and shoot each other straight in our quarterback room.”
The boos at MetLife Stadium that have rained on the team in all five home games (0-5) suggest fans are itching for a change. The locker room isn’t.
Jones ran through two tacklers at the 1-yard line, tossed the ball and screamed in excitement, and then bumped helmets with Slayton as others joined the celebration after his hard-nosed touchdown run.
It was a reminder that he is not giving up the job without a fight.
“I was kind of surprised with him, but I was like, ‘D.J.’s a strong dude. He can do it,’ ” receiver Wan’Dale Robinson said. “To see his celebration, he was just kind of turnt up. You don’t really see that side of him. So, I was happy for him. … I just think that’s just kind of the fire that’s starting to come out of him. And I think he knows that we like to see it.”
It is only fitting that Jones’ potential Judgment Day comes against the Panthers.
The favorite team of his youth is the only opponent that Jones has beaten multiple times without a loss (2-0) during his career.
If that streak ends, so could his days as the starter.