Giants wasted perfect chance to topple vulnerable Cowboys

If it makes you feel better as a fan, then by all means focus on the positives that the Giants squeezed out of Thursday night’s 20-15 loss to the Cowboys.If it makes you sleep better as a fan, sure.Write sonnets about Daniel Jones’ mostly effective 29-for-40 passing night (which looked a lot better before he misfired on his final five attempts).

Sing hymns about the defense keeping Dallas out of the end zone in the second half.Praise an offensive line that for a third straight week played with competence, a few stories north of what we’ve seen out of them the last few years.Knock yourself out.Or you can do what the Giants had better be doing this morning, and in the days to come before next Sunday’s game in Seattle.

Because make no mistake: This was a winnable game.Forget what the oddsmakers were saying.

The Cowboys came to MetLife Stadium wounded and vulnerable.They’d gotten blasted by the Saints and outclassed by the Ravens, both of those games at home in front of fans who were ready to reach for torches and pitchforks, and an owner with an itchy trigger finger, Bill Belichick on speed dial.They couldn’t stop the run, and, in fact, the last two weeks looked like they were under the impression they were playing flag football when the other side ran the ball.Or two-hand touch.So the Giants, whose running game looked so promising in Cleveland last week, were going to run the ball down the Cowboys’ throats.

They were going to hit them in the mouth, and keep the Dallas defense on the field, and bleed the clock, and get to 2-2 on the season.The Giants ran the ball, all right.Twenty-four times.They gained 26 yards.If you don’t have a calculator handy, let me help: That’s an average of 1.08 yards per carry.Stunning news: They did not score a touchdown.

Even more stunning, they are not 2-2.They also could not keep their arms around a Cowboys offense that looked five kinds of shaky against New Orleans and Baltimore.Dak Prescott was terrific: 22 of 27...