Giants’ grit can only mask depressing reality for so long

PITTSBURGH — Details, details, details. 

That was a word that was repeated over and over again in the Giants locker room after they fell to the Steelers, 26-18, Monday night at Acrisure Stadium. 

It was a loser’s lament, and it came from every corner of the losing locker room. 

The Giants overachieved for much of Monday night, but in the end, they screwed up the little things, and it cost them. 

Details, details. 

The only detail that matters, though, is this: 2-6. 

That’s the Giants’ record at the near-halfway point to this season, which is bleeding into the dreaded irrelevancy stage. 

Sure, the Giants came into the game with a terrific plan to neutralize the vaunted Steelers defensive front from eating Daniel Jones alive one week after he’d been sacked seven times and hit twice as many as that in the blowout loss to the Eagles. 

Sure, rookie running Tyrone Tracy produced a career night, rushing for 145 yards and a TD. Sure, receiver Darius Slayton was a dynamic deep threat, catching four passes for 108 yards. 

The Giants, against significant odds, delivered a gritty, well-coached, no-quit performance laced with guile against the favored Steelers in their home. 

The Steelers entered the game with a 5-2 record to the Giants’ 2-5 and they’d won 21 consecutive “Monday Night Football” home games dating back to 1991. 

The Giants? 

They came to Pittsburgh with their season on life support and Jones an endangered species. 

The odds were stacked heavily against the Giants on this night. And yet, they had the ball in Pittsburgh territory twice in the final three minutes down eight points with a chance to tie the game and turned it over twice. 

Details, details. 

On third down, Steelers edge rushed T.J. Watt was inadvertently left one-on-one with right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor and dusted him to sack Jones, force a fumble and recover it. 

The Giants got the ball back for one last-gasp try and, again, were on Pittsburgh’s 45-yard line when Jones overthrew running back Devin Singletary and the ball sailed into the arms of Steelers cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr. with 42 seconds remaining. 

“I overthrew him,’’ Jones said. 

The Giants allowed a 73-yard punt return for a touchdown to Pittsburgh’s Calvin Austin III in the third quarter that broke a 9-9 halftime tie. Austin weaved his way around the Giants coverage team 116 yards in total running. 

“I’m a little frustrated because we’re a good team, and we keep beating ourselves every week,’’ Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence said. 

“It’s very frustrating,’’ Jones said. “We hurt ourselves a lot tonight, and that’s the most frustrating part about it. We’ve got to be more detailed, starting with me. Some of the good stuff that happened was negated by mistakes.’’ 

Daboll praised his team but could do so only so much. 

“I thought there were a lot of different things that we did well, but not enough,’’ Daboll said. “I was proud of the way they competed for 60 minutes. We knew this is a tough place to play. There were a lot of good things … just not enough of them.’’ 

Slayton said, “What was most disappointing is they were a really good football team and we had them right there at the end.’’ 

Maybe the worst detail missed of the night came when rookie first-round pick Malik Nabers was called for an illegal motion that negated a Jones TD pass to tight end Chris Manhertz. 

It was one of numerous pre-snap penalties committed by the Giants that set them back time after time. 

“Details,’’ Slayton said. “We’ve got to be lined up better. We’ve got to do a better job of holding our water. That’s what killed us.’’ 

The details killed them. 

“I’ve gotta get into details more,’’ Nabers said. “I had a lot of miscues when I was out there. I’ve got to focus on the details. Details win football games.’’ 

No one said it better. 

There was no quit in the Giants. So, admire that, if you like. 

The depressing part is they simply weren’t good enough. Again. 

Close losses against favored opponents at the end of the day are just losses in the standings. And the Giants have too many of them. 

Again.