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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Time is running out on the Eli Manning Era, whether Pat Shurmur wants to talk about it or not. Pretty soon there will be nothing to play for in this lost season. The Giants, very clearly, are a mess.

Ironically, that might be the truth that sets Manning free to extend his Giants career a little longer. Because why in the world would the Giants want to throw a rookie quarterback into the middle of this?

Seriously, at this point that's the best argument for keeping Daniel Jones, the Giants future franchise quarterback, on the sidelines as this already miserable season unravels. For all the hope that he would be a better option than a 38-year-old Manning, the reality is that he's still a 22-year-old kid who is learning on the job. That's not always the easiest thing to do in the best of circumstances.

Giants' veteran cornerback Janoris Jenkins was quite angry after the team's 28-14 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday afternoon.

"We have to make some changes, we have to make fixes. Everybody has to make corrections. Like I said, he can't just stand back there and pat the ball with no pressure," said Jenkins, according to Tom Rock of Newsday Sports.

The Bills offense racked up 388 total yards, as quarterback Josh Allen went 19 for 30 passing with 253 yards and one touchdown. Allen was sacked just three times, as the Giants defense gave very little pressure, allowing for Allen to take his time in the pocket.

It was deja vu for the Giants. 

They put together a solid first drive of the game with Saquon Barkley capping it off with a 27-yard run. But all 75 yards came on the ground -- Barkley with 55 and Bennie Fowler getting a 20-yard sweep play as well. 

Eli Manning in the passing game during this home opener just didn't work. And the 28-14 on the scoreboard in favor of the Bills was the result. 

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The Giants defense is a disaster and nothing -- not Saquon Barkley, not a quarterback change, not a miracle -- is going to help them salvage the season if the defense continues to play like this.

For the second straight week, the defense was barely a speed bump on the road to another loss, especially in the first half as the Giants fell into a deep hole. The Buffalo Bills racked up 260 yards in the first half alone and scored on three of their first four possessions, all while second-year quarterback Josh Allen was made to look like Johnny Unitas. It all unraveled in a 28-14 loss to the Bills that could have been -- and probably should have been -- worse.

And it's nothing new either. The pass rush is simply nonexistent. Linebacker Markus Golden, imported from Arizona in the hopes that he could revive his career after an ACL injury, had a sack on the second drive. That was good. That was also one of the few times the Giants' pass rush got anywhere near Allen all game. He had all day long to throw, and when he did leave the pocket, no one could catch him.

Giants WR Cody Latimer has left today's game against the Bills with a concussion. 

Latimer made a crucial fourth-down grab, but caught a helmet to helmet tackle from Bills S Jordan Poyer. He immediately went to the Giants' medical tent to be evaluated. 

Latimer, who was initially expected to be out with a calf injury, saw three catches on five targets for 30 yards before his departure. He now joins Sterling Shepard as another receiver with a concussion. 

If Week 1 taught us anything about who Eli Manning wants to target in the passing game this year, it's his young TE Evan Engram. 

Engram led the Giants with 14 targets, 11 catches, 116 yards and the lone touchdown catch of the game for the Giants. And numbers like that should continue for the third-year Ole Miss product that was drafted with the hope of putting up numbers like this. 

With Sterling Shepard out with a concussion for this week's matchup against the Bills, Engram may be relied on even more by Manning when he drops back to pass. Cody Latimer was upgraded to active, but he only saw three catches on his eight targets. Engram was creating problems for the Cowboys' linebackers, finding opening in the middle of the field to gain some solid yardage.

Well, it looks like one Giants receiver that was expected to be out will strap on their pads for Sunday's tilt against the Bills. 

Cody Latimer, who was initially supposed to be out with a calf injury, is actually set to play, according to ESPN's Jordan Raanan. Latimer was expected to be on the sideline with Sterling Shepard, who is out with a concussion. 

So Latimer should be set to start opposite of Bennie Fowler to start this game today. It's unknown if he'll be limited with his injury, but with the Giants' starting receivers in Shepard and Golden Tate out, one would expect to see Latimer out there as much as he can to help the receiving corps. 

The Giants play their home opener in the Meadowlands against the 1-0 Bills. Here's what you need to know about where to watch...

DATE/TIME: Sept. 15, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. ET

NETWORK: CBS

Giants receiver Sterling Shepard won't play in Sunday's game against the Bills, as the receiver remains in the league's concussion protocol.

But now, questions have arisen within the league about the way Shepard entered the protocol to begin with.

Shepard played the entire game against the Cowboys and it wasn't until Monday that Pat Shurmur announced Shepard had a concussion.

But the play in question occurred in the third quarter on Sunday, and despite the process the league has in place for spotting possible head injuries-- with multiple "spotters" on the field and in the press box whose sole gameday responsibility is to make sure any potential head injuries are given medical attention-- no one seemed to notice when Shepard went down

After the Giants fell to the Dallas Cowboys in their season opener last week, a video of a young Big Blue fan went viral. The child, wearing a Giants jersey, tried to get the autograph of the Cowboys' Demarcus Lawrence following the game. 

The Dallas defender wasn't having it. 

Lawrence told the kid to "get the right jersey" and blew him off. 

After the Giants failed to generate pressure against the Dallas Cowboys, leading quarterback Dak Prescott's 405-yard passing performance in the season opener's 35-17 loss the past weekend, outside linebackers coach Mike Dawson and the New York staff hit the reset button ahead of Sunday's 1 p.m. matchup with the Buffalo Bills.

"I think everybody's looking for the same answer -- how are we going to get pressure on the quarterback?" Dawson said. "You've obviously got to make him uncomfortable, get the ball coming out faster and we've got to make him throw it under duress when he is going to throw it. And then, ultimately, we need to sack the quarterback and get there.

"So it's something that I think all the guys are hungry to get fixed, hungry to get answered. Came out and trained hard this week, so we've got to do a great job. Guys that can move, you've got to have a good aiming point, good plan on those guys and be able to get to them."

Sterling Shepard spent the week in concussion protocol, but the fourth-year wide receiver was out on the field Friday as the Giants turned the page from the past weekend's 35-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

The Giants hoped to have Shepard back by the time Sunday's 1 p.m. kickoff at MetLife Stadium against the Buffalo Bills arrived, but they instead enter the home opener without one of their top offensive weapons.

After Friday's practice, Shurmur said that Shepard was not entirely held out of action, but there were further steps needed to gain clearance before Sunday's game.

Giants WR Sterling Shepard, who has been doing light activity on the side at practice this week while still in concussion protocol, has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Bills. 

Along with Shepard, the Giants will also be without Darius Slayton, who is dealing with a hamstring injury.

Adding to the wide receiver injury woes, Cody Latimer is questionable for Sunday's game due to a calf injury.

Sunday's 1 p.m. kickoff at MetLife Stadium between the New York Giants and Buffalo Bills just got a bit more interesting.

A day after Pat Shurmur said Wednesday that Bills quarterback Josh Allen "had a chance to be a starter," repeating the head coach's take on the Wyoming product as the Giants evaluated the position ahead of the 2018 NFL draft, the Bills took notice.

According to Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic, a tweet published by NFL Network's Kimberly Jones with Shurmur's comments about Allen appeared on televisions displayed inside the Bills' facility Thursday.

Giants' wide receiver Cody Latimer is the newest player on the injury report, after sitting out practice on Thursday.

Latimer is dealing with a calf injury, forcing him to jog lightly on the side with fellow wide reciever Sterling Shepard, who is still in concussion protocol.

In 51 career games, Latimer has 49 recpetions for 709 yards and four touchdowns. He played with the Denver Broncos from 2014-17 before joining the Giants in 2018.

As the Giants hit the practice fields on Thursday, wide receiver Sterling Shepard remained in the league's concussion protocol.

Shepard entered the protocol following Sunday's loss to the Cowboys, and is reportedly doing "okay" according to head coach Pat Shurmur.

Shepard finished Week 1 with six catches for 42 yards, third most on the team behind Evan Engram's 116 and Cody Latimer's 74.

The Giants defense had a 2019 debut they'd like to forget.

As a unit, the Giants allowed 494 yards of offense against the Cowboys, the most of any NFC team. Their 35 points allowed were also the most given up by any NFC team, and defensive coordinator James Bettcher believes the key to fixing the defensive issues is to put in the work during the week. 

Just a season ago, the Giants had the chance to take one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL Draft with their No. 2 overall pick. Josh Allen was among those quarterbacks, coming out of Wyoming. 

However, the Giants went with Penn State RB Saquon Barkley with that pick, and Allen went to the Bills seventh overall. 

On Sunday, Allen will be going up against Big Blue with Buffalo staying in East Rutherford following their come-from-behind win over the Jets in Week 1. Giants head coach Pat Shurmur commented on Allen, and though he wouldn't say whether or not he was an option for the Giants in that 2018 Draft. 

The Giants officially placed LB Kareem Martin on Injured Reserve on Wednesday due to knee injury suffered against the Cowboys, and while the team re-signed WR TJ Jones to fill the roster spot, the team may be looking at another recent addition to fill Martin's shoes on defense.

On Monday, the Giants claimed LB Tuzar Skipper off waivers from the Steelers. Pittsburgh had waived him to promote Johnny Holton to the active roster, and according to Skipper, they had hoped to bring him back before the Giants swooped in.

"They were short a gunner and low on wide receivers that week for New England, so they basically cut me and then they were going to bring me back to the (53-man roster) again, but the Giants claimed me," Skipper said. "They didn't think that I was going to get claimed. The Giants claimed me like the last five minutes before the deadline or something like that."

The Giants allowed 405 yards through the air to the Cowboys, a main reason why the scoreboard read 35-17 Dallas at the end of the day. 

Heading into the season, the Giants knew they were inexperienced at the position with the exception of Janoris Jenkins. It was a young yet hopeful group that the team believed would translate well. 

But that was the exact opposite outcome with the Cowboys' receivers doing whatever they wanted on the field. Dallas' social media team posted a recap video on their Twitter that proved receivers like Amari Cooper knew they had the upper hand. 

A week after the Giants' first injury report of the 2019 season was highlighted by an offensive lineman, it is once again in Kevin Zeitler, along with wide receiver Sterling Shepard.

Zeitler sustained a shoulder injury in the Giants' season opener, a 35-17 loss to the Cowboys. As the Giants turn their attention to their Week 2 opponent, the Buffalo Bills, Zeitler was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday, according to the team's injury report. 

But all signs are pointing to the positive in regard to the 29-year-old lineman's health. Giants head coach Pat Shurmur told reporters he believes Zeitler "will be fine." In addition, Zeitler himself said there's "no doubt" he'll play against the Bills. 

With Sterling Shepard currently in concussion protocol and questionable for Sunday's game against the Bills, the Giants made a move to shore up his spot on the roster. 

T.J. Jones, who was a standout receiver with the Giants this preseason, is back with Big Blue, according to NorthJersey.com's Art Stapleton. 

This isn't the first time Jones was brought in after injuries struck the Giants. With Golden Tate's suspension, Corey Coleman's ACL tear and Shepard dealing with a thumb injury previously, Jones came into Giants training camp to add more depth. And he made the best of the opportunity. 

When Giants head coach Pat Shurmur told reporters during his Monday conference call that Sterling Shepard was in concussion protocol, many were stunned. 

When the heck did that happen on Sunday? 

Shepard played the entire game, and he wasn't brought up during the post-game press conference when Shurmur had to answer for how the Giants lost 35-17 to the Cowboys. 

By the numbers, the Giants showed up on offense despite Sunday's 35-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas -- just not everywhere.

Big Blue racked up 470 total yards, 319 of which came through the air and 306 from Eli Manning, who completed 30 of 44 passes (68.2 percent) and threw a one-yard touchdown to tight end Evan Engram with 8:11 left in the first quarter.

But the statistics were deceiving after New York put three scores on the board -- a garbage-time rushing touchdown by running back Wayne Gallman among them on a two-yard run with 2:54 left in the fourth quarter made no difference.

Giants head coach Pat Shurmur knew he had a relatively inexperienced group on defense coming into the season, and they undoubtedly struggled against the Cowboys in Week 1, allowing 494 yards of offense, including 405 yards through the air.

Shurmur knows that a young corps on defense is bound to take its lumps and believes that the issues that plagued them in the opener are fixable.

"I think we've got to coach the players constantly," Shurmur said. "Certainly, we didn't do anything well enough to win the game yesterday, so you coach them on the details of it, but also on the mindset of getting back to work. You show them where they should be better, you show them how to be better, and then you go out and practice it, so that's the process." 

Giants WR Sterling Shepard has a concussion and is in concussion protocol, the team said Monday. 

Giants head coach Pat Shurmur said earlier Monday that Shepard "may be" dealing with a concussion, adding that he was going through tests to determine if he had one or not.

It would be a tough blow to Shepard if he misses time. He already missed a bunch of time this preseason, as he dealt with a fractured thumb.

It is not time for Daniel Jones to start. It is not time for the Giants to surrender the season and begin looking towards the future. It is not time to finally and officially declare Eli Manning "done."

But a few more performances by the Giants like the one in Dallas on Sunday, and the start of the Daniel Jones Era might be pretty close.

That really has nothing to do with Manning, the Giants' 38-year-old currently starting quarterback. As easy a target as he may be, he wasn't the reason the Giants were blown out, 35-17, in Dallas on Opening Day. But in the end -- his end -- there seems to be an increasing possibility that his own play won't matter.

When you look at the 35-17 final between the Cowboys and Giants on Sunday, there isn't much to be happy about from New York's standpoint. 

However, when you check the box score -- or just watch the game closely to begin with -- Giants fans should be happy about Evan Engram's production. 

This season, Engram's third since he was drafted in the first round in 2016, was supposed to be the one where he really breaks out and becomes the matchup nightmare everyone in the Giants' organization knows he can be. And that's exactly what he did in a stellar first game. 

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The game was far from over late in the third quarter when the Giants were deep in Cowboys territory. They were moving the ball, on the verge of scoring, facing a third-and-2 from the Cowboys' eight yard line.

It was the perfect time to place the ball in the hands of their best player, who just happens to be one of the most dynamic players in the league. So the Giants lined up, the ball was snapped, and Eli Manning turned and handed the ball to…

Eli Penny?

After watching his team get thoroughly dismantled by the Cowboys in a 35-17 Week 1 loss, Giants head coach Pat Shurmur didn't have a ton of positive things to say following the game.

"We certainly didn't do well enough on offense, defense or special teams to win against a good team that played well," Shurmur said. "We didn't score enough points and we certainly gave up too many."

Big Blue started well on Sunday, scoring a touchdown on their first drive after forcing the Cowboys to punt on their first possession of the game. But it was all downhill from there, as they got outscored 21-0 in the rest of the first half and never got close the rest of the way. 

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It's possible that the Giants defense is actually worse than anyone thought.

That's hard to believe, considering how low expectations were, but it was like they were barely there in the Giants' 35-17 opening day loss in Dallas. They got no pass rush at all, and their secondary was a mess of poor coverage and broken plays. The result was a 405-yard, four-touchdown performance by Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott, who looked like he was running a 7-on-7 drill all day.

It was embarrassing, really. Also it was not surprising. It was clear the Giants weren't going to be able to generate much of a pass rush this season, and they drew a tough assignment anyway against the Cowboys' powerful offensive line. But the coverage was worse than advertised, particularly starting corner Antonio Hamilton, who was literally shoved around throughout the game. 

Late in the fourth quarter, and down 35-17 to the Cowboys, Giants head coach Pat Shurmur decided it was time for a change.

Rookie quarterback Daniel Jones made his debut, unexpectedly, after Eli Manning's day was done.

Jones completed three passes for 17 yards, with a long of six yards. The No. 6 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft ran five yards for a first down, but fumbled and the Cowboys recovered.

The Giants kick off the 2019-2020 NFL season on Sunday against the division rival Cowboys. Here's what you need to know about where to watch...

DATE/TIME: Sept. 8, 2019 at 4:25 p.m. ET

NETWORK: FOX

The Giants restructured Nate Solder's contract and picked up $5 million in cap space, as Tom Pelissaro of NFL Network first reported Saturday.

SNY's Ralph Vacchiano confirmed the move, which took $7.5 million of Solder's base salary and turned it into a full guaranteed roster bonus.

The 6-foot-8, 325-pound left tackle is set to receive $13 million in 2019 and 2020, followed by $14 million in 2021.

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Nobody on the outside really likes this Giants team, or thinks it will be any good this season. But on the inside, the feeling is much different.

Everyone in the Giants' building seems to really like what they've done with this team.

"We don't really listen to the talk outside," Giants head coach Pat Shurmur said. "We feel like we are a better team than we were a year ago. … I like the way we have built our team. I like some of the changes we made personnel wise.

When the Giants open their 2019 season Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, they will have two quarterbacks available for the 4:25 p.m. kickoff at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

After practice Friday, head coach Pat Shurmur revealed New York's plans to start the campaign at quarterback, where veteran Eli Manning has been the offense's starter for the past 15 years.

As Shurmur noted throughout the preseason, most recently Aug. 23 after the Giants' 25-23 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Manning remains Big Blue's starter -- at least to begin the regular season.

On the heels of the disappointment from their 5-11 result last year, the Giants are retooled as they enter the 2019 season with a reshaped roster and second-year leadership.

While head coach Pat Shurmur and general manager Dave Gettleman have insisted that the Giants are still built to win after the team traded star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., are veteran quarterback Eli Manning and second-year running back Saquon Barkley -- among others -- enough on offense while the defense makes up for offseason departures?

In a tightly projected NFC East, the Giants are pegged by Pro Football Focus -- which uses thousands of simulations in accordance with the outlet's proprietary grades and situational information -- for a third-place divisional finish and iffy postseason odds.

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - When news broke of Ezekiel Elliott's six-year, $90 million contract extension (with $50 million in guaranteed money) on Thursday, Saquon Barkley was happy for his fellow NFL running back. Just not for the reasons everyone thinks.

He said he didn't give a second of thought to what it might mean for him when his own four-year, $31.1 million contract is over (presumably after the team exercises its fifth-year option in 2022). And remarkably, not a single friend or family member has brought that up to him either - at least not yet.

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Few players in Giants history had rocketed to superstardom as fast as Odell Beckham Jr. did. In what seemed like an instant, he became a household name and got caught up in the instant access and lack of privacy in the social media age.

There were times the Giants felt like it was too much for Beckham. 

They have no such worries about Saquon Barkley, their newest superstar.

When the Giants' first injury report surfaced on Wednesday, it wasn't a good sight to see starting RT Mike Remmers in the "Did Not Participate" section. 

But that didn't last too long. 

Remmers was seen at practice on Thursday, and the Giants updated their list to say that he was a limited participant. He was initially listed as battling a back ailment and illness. 

Saquon Barkley was recenly named one of the Giants' captains for the 2019 season. And while he said it's awesome to gain the respect of his teammates, it doesn't change his responsibility heading into the season.

"That shows you how they feel about me -- especially being a young guy," Barkley told SNY's Ralph Vacchiano on Thursday. "It doesn't put any more pressure on me, I'm not gonna change. Like I said, I don't need a 'C' on my chest to be a leader on this team. Even though I have a 'C' on my chest, I'm not gonna try to go outside of myself."

After being drafted by the Giants at No. 2 overall last season as the team passed on taking a quarterback, there were many who believed Big Blue had made a mistake. Barkley then wen't on to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

ESPN's Field Yates did some research on Thursday that Giants fans might want to look away from. 

Yates broke down the cap space that all 32 NFL teams currently possess, and well, the Giants finished last on that list. 

CLICK BELOW TO SEE THE LIST

The Giants' first injury report came out on Wednesday ahead of their Opening Week matchup with the Cowboys on the road. 

Right tackle Mike Remmers was the biggest name on that list, but he wasn't someone that head coach Pat Shurmur mentioned in his opening remarks Wednesday morning. He did mention rookie WR Darius Slayton (hamstring) and TE Garrett Dickerson (quad) as players who may not practice.

Remmers, though, was listed as "illness/back" on the report. This isn't the best sign with the back part after his offseason back surgery that he had to recover from. 

Ezekiel Elliott and the Cowboys finally ended their stalemate on Wednesday morning when he agreed to a massive six-year, $90 million deal that made him the NFL's highest-paid running back. 

That means the Giants will be seeing him on the AT&T Stadium turf this Sunday to kick off the season. 

Head coach Pat Shurmur has been preparing for a game without Elliott, the NFL's leading rusher a season ago, but that defensive gameplan might need a few tweaks now especially with him expected to receive 20-25 reps, according to NFL Network's Jane Slater. 

Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott has agreed to a six-year, $90 million extension that includes roughly half the money being guaranteed, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

Elliott, 24, had been holding out all offseason, with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones growing skeptical last week that a deal would be reached quickly.

"I'm operating as though right now he's going to miss regular-season games," Jones said on Thursday, according to the Cowboys' official website. "My entire expectation for what we're putting together as a team right now would anticipate with him holding out and not having any training camp that he's going to miss games. I just accept that."

Sterling Shepard is ready to finally get back on the field and catch some passes. Without his thumb splint. 

The fourth-year receiver hasn't seen any preseason action, and has been limited at practice due to his fractured right thumb. He was still seen with a yellow, non-contact jersey on at training camp, but would haul in any pass coming his way with his left hand.

That won't be the case on Sunday, though, as Shepard will be in the blue and white ready to take on the Cowboys in Week 1.  

The one thing that is certain about the Giants is that they are a team in transition -- or at least they will be soon. There's a new quarterback and a new era on the horizon.

How this season goes will determine how soon that future will come.

So yes, the Eli Manning-Daniel Jones dynamic and when/if the inevitable switch is made will be the dominant story of the Giants' 2019 season. There's no way to avoid that. But that isn't the only storyline to watch...

It's officially game week for the Giants, and as has been the case for two of the last three years, a division matchup with the Cowboys awaits them in Week 1. And the biggest storyline stemming from this game is whether or not RB Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas' top playmaker, will be on the field. 

As many know by now, the Cowboys and Elliott continue to remain at a stalemate in contract extension talks. It's the reason why Elliott has not reported to training camp at all this summer, and still isn't with the team. 

However, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Elliott is returning from Cab San Lucas, Mexico -- where he has been training and waiting -- to be ready for a return if he reaches an agreement with the Cowboys. Fox Sports' Shannon Sharpe is also hearing that Elliott is close to a seven-year deal as well.

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If there was one thing the Giants wanted to make clear after their first regular-season practice on Monday, it's that, "We're a better team than we were a year ago," as Pat Shurmur said. No Odell Beckham, no Landon Collins? It's no problem to them.

Yes, they were 5-11 last season so that bar isn't particularly high. And yes, there is an element of, "What else are they supposed to say?"

But the Giants really do seem to believe in addition by subtraction, that by removing a handful of big-name stars they've been able to build a better team -- no matter what the outside world thinks.