The margin for error was always going to be small on this day for the Giants.
As small as the margin of victory for the Rams over the Giants Sunday at MetLife Stadium: Rams 26, Giants 25.
“Wins don’t just occur or fall in your lap,’’ Giants tight end Darren Waller said afterward. “You have to make them happen in this league and we had opportunities to make it happen. When you don’t take advantage of those opportunities, you end up with the L.’’
The margin for error has been slim all season for the offensively challenged Giants, who are in the process of producing one of their most anemic offensive outputs in franchise history.
So, when you’re the Giants, already eliminated from the playoff race, and you’re playing a Rams team that entered the day having won five of its previous six games and was in control of its playoff destiny, let us recount the things they couldn’t afford to do on Sunday:
Cornerback Adoree’ Jackson whiffing on a tackle of Puka Nacua, who went 80 yards on one of the back-breaking plays of the game.
The Rams rookie receiver appeared to be stopped for a four-yard gain with Jackson draped all over him, but he shook loose and burst free for the 80-yard gain to the Giants 2-yard line that set up a Kyren Williams TD one play later for a 20-10 L.A. lead.
“I was going for the pick,’’ Jackson told The Post afterward. “We were in blitz zero, I jumped the route and [Rams quarterback Matthew] Stafford did a good job of throwing him outside, so I had a bad angle.’’
Jackson’s emotion when he saw Nacua rambling down the sideline?
“Just, ‘Damn … s—, he made a play,’ ’’ Jackson said.
Kicker Mason Crosby missing the extra point after quarterback Tyrod Taylor connected with Darius Slayton on an 80-yard scoring pass to cut the Rams’ lead to 20-16 in the third quarter.
Cor’Dale Flott essentially escorting the Rams on a fourth-quarter scoring drive that gave them a 26-19 lead.
First, the Giants cornerback gave Rams receiver Demarcus Robinson the equivalent of the Meadowlands Racetrack for cushion as Robinson gained 37 yards on an easy catch-and-run. On the next play, Flott was called for a defensive hold that set up a 28-yard Williams scoring run.
Daniel Bellinger was called for a holding penalty that negated a 47-yard Taylor strike to rookie receiver Jalin Hyatt in the fourth quarter.
The Giants tight end hooked blitzing Rams safety Quentin Lake as Hyatt reached the Rams 13-yard line. That series ended several plays later on a failed fourth-and-1 play.
“I thought I made a good play, but I can’t put it in the hands of the ref to make a call,’’ Bellinger said. “When you have those big splash plays, you can’t lose them for something that. It’s frustrating.’’
The doozy of the day was Taylor, on a two-point conversion try to give the Giants a 27-26 lead after punt returner Gunner Olszewski scored on a 94-yard return with 3:27 remaining to make it 26-25 Rams, threw a pass woefully behind running back Saquon Barkley, who had no chance to catch the ball.
“Saquon was open and I was kind of caught in between running it and throwing it and didn’t do either one of them,’’ Taylor said. “I’ve got to be better.”
Then there was Barkley dropping a Taylor pass with 1:04 remaining on the Giants’ final possession that he could have turned into a huge gainer with no one around him.
“It was a simple option route that I’ve been asking for all year and I make a good read and was thinking of taking it to the house instead of securing the catch,’’ Barkley said. “It’s the little things. That’s what it comes down to.’’
Theme of the day.
Daboll, with no timeouts, curiously calling a second-down draw play to Barkley that went for a 2-yard loss to the Giants 36-yard line, leaving Crosby, the team’s third kicker this season, with a 54-yard field goal attempt to win the game.
“Yeah, I’d like to have the play back,’’ Daboll lamented.
The Crosby kick, of course, fell woefully short.
A fitting end to the day for the 5-11 Giants.
A metaphor to a lost season in which the Giants spent far too much time falling short.
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