So now The Kid had been bloodied, bruised, knocked down, welcomed to the NFL. Daniel Jones had thrown two interceptions, both to Quinton Dunbar, on consecutive throws in the second quarter.
At that moment, as he clapped his hands together in my-bad acknowledgment, then headed to the sideline, he looked every bit the rookie, looked the way Eli Manning looked before he grew up to become Eli Manning.
MetLife Stadium, delirious in the early stages of Jones’ first home start, seemed either shell-shocked or deflated or both.
How could this have happened to our savior? Our Danny Dimes?
Jones had already thrown a touchdown pass to Wayne Gallman, had already directed a 94-yard touchdown drive, had built a 14-0 lead when the roof suddenly caved in on him.
So this was a different kind of test for Daniel Jones. This time he wasn’t being asked to go win the game, bring the Giants back from the dead, be the hero. Not on a day when the Redskins seemed to be fielding 46 rookies of their own, many of them undisciplined, including Dwayne Haskins, who would throw three interceptions in relief of a dreadful Case Keenum against a foaming-at-the-mouth Giants defense.
Jones was being asked to get back up, and steer the ship to port.
He got back up and directed the 24-3 victory in front of fans who had witnessed two home wins in 2017, and two home wins in 2018.
Steely Dan.
“I didn’t see any change in his demeanor when he threw the picks,” Jon Halapio said.
No, Jones isn’t wired that way.
“Listen, after those plays, you wouldn’t have known that he didn’t just throw a touchdown pass,” Pat Shurmur said. “That’s part of his charm, he’s just on to the next thing.”
The next big thing was a third-and-13 scramble for 16 yards during which he somehow escaped a sack as if he were Manning in Super Bowl XLII before the miracle David Tyree catch. A Jon Hilliman fumble at the 2 killed the drive but pinned Haskins deep enough before Jabrill Peppers’ 32-yard pick-six.
“Got a little pressure there, but just tried to stay on my feet and then saw some space,” Jones said.
They all throw interceptions. The measure of a quarterback is how he responds to them. Comedian Richard Lewis could never play quarterback. Certainly not for the Giants. Not following Eli Manning. You’re either resilient or you’re not. You can either move on to the next play or you can’t.
“You gotta be able to do it,” Jones said. “If you can’t, you’re gonna struggle at times ’cause football’s gonna go up and down, you’re gonna have good plays and bad plays.”
Manning’s locker had been cleaned out when the media entered the locker room, but it must be quite a luxury for Jones to have him nearby.
“I’ve never seen him shook,” Cody Latimer said.
Saquon Barkley, who may or may not be back in a month after suffering a high ankle sprain against the Bucs, was standing outside the Giants locker room.
“Obviously struggled a little bit with a couple of interceptions, but continued to go out there and lead the team and play well,” Barkley told The Post. “That’s the thing that you want to see within a quarterback.”
Shurmur likes what he sees enough to be emboldened enough to go for it fourth-and-2 at the ’Skins 24 in the first quarter, Jones to Sterling Shepard for 5 yards. Jones showing he was human after all — he didn’t see Dunbar on the first pick and misfired on the second — won’t make Shurmur timid.
“Two mistakes that you can’t have, and costly ones — luckily our defense stepped up and we were able to hold them off,” Jones said.
On his way out of the locker room, with Jones seated at his locker, Latimer yelled over to Jones: “Legend!”
Jones acknowledged Latimer’s nickname for him, smiled and pointed at him.
Just Win, Baby. Any way you can. Jones is 2-0 as a starter and he left the Giants energized again.
“I think it’s equally as exciting,” Jones said. “I think just to win is always a good feeling, and to win at home is a great feeling. Definitely two different games and they played out differently, but a win’s a win.”
After 3-13 and 5-11, you bet it is.