The last time they were here, the Giants had the ball and were on the move, with Eli Manning in a hurry-up offense completing three consecutive passes before time ran out. Literally and spiritually.
This was the waning seconds of a dreary loss, with Giants fans already gone in droves, with several thousand Bills supporters occupying the good seats at MetLife Stadium. Manning tossing the final throws in garbage time as his starting job slipped away.
The time card of rookie Daniel Jones was punched, he debuted spectacularly in a fortunate victory at Tampa Bay, and now the new Giants, the changed Giants, return home Sunday to face the Redskins, and the difference between then and now is startling.
“I’m excited,’’ Jones said. “I’m excited to run out there in front of Giants fans and play my first game here. That’ll be fun. We had some good support down there in Tampa Bay, and I am certainly very appreciative of that, but it’ll be fun to run out here.’’
For the first time in four games, the Giants (1-2) are favored, and not only based on the arrival of a winless opponent. Jones threw two touchdown passes, ran for two more touchdowns and looked remarkably calm and undeniably athletic, seeming every bit worthy of his high draft status (No. 6 overall) and deserving of taking the handoff from Manning as the next franchise quarterback.
“A huge lift, not only how vocal he is and how he uplifts all the other players, he’s smart and he plays with a lot of poise,’’ said receiver Sterling Shepard, who played his first three years getting the ball from Manning. “You can see that, and you usually don’t see that out of a rookie.’’There is no doubt Jones’ impact will energize a building that was so lifeless down the stretch of the 28-14 Week 2 loss. Losing is bad for business. The average ticket price of $167.34 for the Giants-Redskins game at mid-week was up 22 percent since Jones made his debut, according to TickPick. Winning with a new, fresh face is good for business.
A pause for some perspective: If not for a missed 34-yard field goal at the buzzer last week, the Giants would be 0-3 and Jones’ brilliance, while encouraging for the future, would not have produced anything tangible for this season.
Winning consistently figures to be a challenge for the Giants if their defense does not vastly improve. Jones ventures into his second NFL start without star running back Saquon Barkley, out likely until November with a high ankle sprain. Third-year reserve Wayne Gallman steps in, and it remains to be seen if the offense is going to take such a hit that Jones will have to save the day with his arm, and his legs.
“He’s certainly a huge piece of our offense, a huge piece of what we’ve done, without a doubt,’’ Jones said of Barkley. “I certainly hate to lose him, but I’m very confident in Wayne stepping up. I know he’ll play well. We have a lot of playmakers all over the field.’’
What changes is how the playmakers go about their jobs. Shepard, tight end Evan Engram — coming off the most explosive game of his career — and rising rookie Darius Slayton after only one game with Jones realize the need to never give up on a play, with Jones able to escape a closing pocket far better than Manning late in his career, or ever.
“You got two different style of quarterbacks,’’ Shepard told The Post. “One likes to use his feet a little bit more so you have to be on your toes and be able to work with the scramble drill. Nobody has a problem with it in the wide receivers room. It helps. It’s tough for DBs to hang onto somebody for that long. It’s an advantage.’’