Brian Daboll’s Giants might have lost Daniel Jones for season in embarrassing blowout loss to Raiders

LAS VEGAS — Daniel Jones might be done for the season with a right knee injury, and the spiraling Giants probably should plan to draft his successor in April.

After all, they’re going to challenge for the No. 1 overall pick.

Joe Schoen’s and Brian Daboll’s team continued hitting new lows in Sunday’s 30-6 blowout loss to a Raiders team that fired its GM and head coach on Tuesday.

The 2023 Giants (2-7) can be summed up by Daboll’s incredulous question for right tackle Evan Neal after a first quarter false start:

“What the f—?” Daboll said to Neal as he came to the sideline.

Indeed.

Co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch both were on-hand at Allegiant Stadium to watch former Giants Pro Bowl linebacker Antonio Pierce, the Raiders’ interim head coach, stomp out his old team.

The Giants trudged into halftime trailing 24-0. They have trailed by 20 or more points in four of their nine games so far this season, the most of any team in the NFL, per FOX.

A potential torn right ACL for Jones on the first play of the second quarter was the dagger that might have sent this lost season completely off the deep end.

Veteran backup Tyrod Taylor is out at least three more games on injured reserve with a serious “ribs” injury.

And the only other quarterbacks on the roster are undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito (one TD, two interceptions on Sunday) and recent practice squad signing Matt Barkley.

It was mighty appropriate, therefore, that Schoen, assistant GM Brandon Brown and director of player personnel Tim McDonnell spent their Saturday night at USC-Washington for a primetime college quarterback battle between the Trojans’ Caleb Williams and the Huskies’ Michael Penix Jr.

Jones, 26, suffered an apparent non-contact injury to his right knee on the final play of Sunday’s first quarter. Then he collapsed on the first snap of the second quarter and immediately left the game for good.

He was examined first in the blue medical tent for a while before limping off the field in the opposite direction of the Giants’ locker room with a couple trainers, presumably to undergo tests.

The Giants waited a long time to eventually rule him out for the game with a “knee” injury. But it was reasonable to fear the worst for Jones, who had just returned to the lineup after missing three games with a neck injury.

Sunday’s injury happened as Jones was trying to elude Raiders pass rusher Maxx Crosby on an eventual sack.

Jones tried to run right past tight end Lawrence Cager, who was trying to help block inside, when Jones planted his right leg and fell abruptly and awkwardly.

Jones was in clear pain. He tried to jog it off during the quarter break, bending and lifting his right leg to stretch it and practicing a few throws.

But on the first play of the second quarter, Jones dropped back to pass, collapsed and grabbed at his right knee.

Jones admittedly did not play well prior to the injury, either.

He missed rookie speedster Jalin Hyatt twice on deep throws that could have been touchdowns.

Hyatt caught the first one, but the throw was too far outside and the Giants receiver landed out of bounds. Jones overthrew Hyatt on the second try.

Jones air-mailed his first throw of the game over Saquon Barkley’s head incomplete with no pressure in his face at all.

Frankly, Jones’ mechanics looked a bit different on his follow-through, potentially impacted by the weakness and symptoms in his left shoulder from the neck injury.

That’s a moot point now, though. So is the fact that Daboll’s offensive line finally got tackles Andrew Thomas (hamstring) and Evan Neal (ankle) back in the lineup for the first time since Weeks 1 and 6, respectively.

Neal hurt his left ankle in Sunday’s fourth quarter and limped off in frustration. Corner Adoree Jackson left the game in the second quarter with a concussion.

Rookie receiver Jalin Hyatt looked like he was in serious pain in the fourth quarter after taking a big hit and fumbling.

The Giants are illustrating one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history, though, and it’s only going to get worse.

Their offense is on a tear of ineptitude despite Daboll taking over the offensive meetings three weeks ago.

They unsuccessfully tried to mimic two of the Philadelphia Eagles’ signature plays on Sunday: the Tush Push and the Philly Special, in pathetically poor form.

They actually ran Jones on the Tush Push in his first game back from a neck injury.

The defense didn’t put a hit on Raiders rookie QB Aidan O’Connell until Micah McFadden’s pressure with 9:33 left in the fourth quarter.

What a train wreck. Or as Daboll said: What the f—?”