3 Giants to blame for losing to Steelers on Monday Night Football

This New York Giants team is maddening. There's just enough promise to really pack a punch when the team invariably underperforms. The Pittsburgh Steelers were always a tough challenge on Monday Night Football, but the Giants' loss stings especially bad because of how close it was.

There's a version of Monday's game that ends in a Giants victory. Daniel Jones made some eye-popping passes, the defense came up with a few stops, and New York's playmakers were plenty explosive. In the end, however, the Giants made too many back-breaking mistakes to emerge with the W.

It's easy to play the blame game after a loss. The Giants weren't short on scapegoats, but these names stand out in particular. I will, however, give a special shoutout to the offensive line collective, which caved like spoiled Swiss cheese all night long.

3. Malik Nabers couldn't come up large when the Giants needed him

On the surface, Malik Nabers put together a respectable performance. He roped in seven catches on 13 targets for 72 yards. Nothing to write home about for the No. 6 pick, but hardly a cause for concern. Right?

Well, not exactly. Nabers didn't just whiff on six bad passes from Daniel Jones. The rookie suffered a few costly drops in this game, including this goof in the fourth quarter. That is a catch you need to make as the franchise wide receiver.

Nabers was supposed to be the differentiating factor for this Giants offense compared to last season's slog. We can sit here and wax poetic about losing Saquon Barkley, but the Giants needed Nabers to hit straight away. The early returns have been largely positive, but it's clear that Nabers still has a long way to go. That's fine — most rookies do, and maybe we placed too many expectations on Nabers out of the gate. But, until Nabers can cut these avoidable missteps out of his game, the Giants' offense won't reach its full potential.

2. Brian Daboll's seat gets hotter with another primetime loss

Brian Daboll's seat has been gradually getting warmer for a while now. It's clear New York's issues go beyond its head coach, but there is no easier scapegoat than the man walking the sideline with a headset. Especially when the Giants fall victim to boneheaded tactical errors like this egregiously ill-conceived two-point conversion attempt in the fourth quarter.

Daboll called a rough game all night. The Giants had their moments, but as the mistakes piled up, it's became harder not to circle criticism back to the man calling the shots. More than play-calling, Daboll is responsible for leading practices and developing talent. The Giants' constant brain farts and hapless miscues reflect as poorly on him as they do his players.

Of course, we can funnel a lot of this blame to Joe Schoen and the front office. New York's defensive secondary was in shambles all night, leading to Daboll's controversial decision to bench second-year cornerback Deonte Banks. The Giants just don't have the personnel to hang in these games.

Are the Giants cooked? Yeah, pretty much. The NFC East is a bloodbath, the same as always, and the Giants are in a league of mediocrity all their own. Credit to the Steelers' defense, which is elite, but New York's offense was remarkably incompetent tonight. Every positive flash was undone with a doubly upsetting and completely unforced error. Daboll might not finish the season at this rate.

1. Daniel Jones once again underperformed when the lights were brightest

I've seen a lot of 'you can't even blame Daniel Jones' stuff after this game, which is ridiculous. Of course we can. Yes, Jones is not the only problem, but we can't absolve the $160 million quarterback for stalling positive momentum at every turn.

It was a productive night for Jones on the surface, completing 24-of-38 passes for 264 yards and a couple touchdowns, but he was sacked four times. Jones shares that blame with a threadbare O-line, but his decision-making speed just wasn't quick enough. Those issues were compounded with a fumble and an interception — both in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter.

Jones coughed up a chance to lead the game-tying drive with a third down fumble, then he ended the game in bitterly poetic fashion with a god-awful pass soaring over the head of Devin Singletary.

Jones has major arm talent, but he is too mistake-prone to lead a successful NFL offense. The Giants tried to make it work, but somehow Jones has fans regretting New York's decision to pass on Russell Wilson in free agency. The Giants wouldn't guarantee Russ a starting spot, so he went to the Steelers. What felt like a no-brainer at the time looks far less cut-and-dry in hindsight. Russ is balling, Jones is decidedly not.

The Giants will eagerly await the opportunity to draft Jones' replacement next April. In the meantime, buckle in and prepare for more disappointment down the stretch of this season.