EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Giants' season-opening loss was cataclysmic, but Brian Daboll's reaction to it was calm.

In a virtual news conference with reporters on Monday, the second-year head coach did not raise his voice, threaten any player's job security or hint at wholesale lineup changes. The 40-0 loss to the Dallas Cowboys was surely one of the most unpleasant defeats Daboll or anyone associated with the Giants has ever stomached. But with 16 games remaining, an overreaction would only complicate a cleanup that's needed in several areas. So, Daboll responded as he does after victories, defeats or ties, reviewing what occurred, pinpointing areas for improvement, and begin preparing for the next opponent, in this case the Cardinals Sunday in Arizona.

"I'd say you take it for what it's worth," Daboll said. "It was a poor performance. You learn from the things that you can learn from and then you really got to get focused on the next week. Whether it was a win or a loss, it really has no effect on the next week. Your job is to be honest, to show them some of the things that we can do better as a team. Whether it's a staff, whether it's players and then to get on to next week.

"Like I said, it's a humbling league and one week doesn't have much effect on the next week. Your preparation, your performance ultimately on Sunday, or whenever that day is, does. That's what we will focus on, a lot to learn. We'll do our best to teach it, to learn from it, to go out there and have a good week of practice and to get ready for the next week's opponent."

The Giants have work to do on offense, defense and special teams. The offense totaled only 171 yards, and seven sacks of Daniel Jones for 47 yards left the unit with 63 net passing yards. Only four of the Giants' 65 plays gained more than nine yards and the longest, a 23-yarder, was actually an 8-yard Jones scramble augmented by a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on Jayron Kearse. The offense committed three turnovers, including two Jones interceptions.

Defensively, the Giants registered neither a sack (for the third straight game against the Cowboys), nor a takeaway.

The Giants' only two forays into the red zone ended with missed field goal attempts, one that was blocked and returned for a touchdown, the other that Graham Gano hooked after Casey Kreiter's low snap.

"It was a collective effort," Daboll said. "I think seven times the ball was either in their hands or on the ground, which you start with ball security. We didn't do a good enough job with that and there's some things – third down and red zone situational football that we didn't do a good enough job of. Then obviously, we didn't score a single point so a lot to learn from, a lot to improve on and that's what we'll try to do today."

The players who spoke publicly today were also eager to begin their execution and emotional rehab.

"It was just embarrassing," cornerback Adoree' Jackson said. "I know we all felt that, whether it was us as players, the coaches, the staff, the organization. It's just one of those things where you go watch the film and get those corrections and figure out how to improve and how to get better, and just be better in general. Just learn from those mistakes, and just keep pushing forward. It's always about putting the next foot in front of the other."

The Giants have lost five in a row and 12 of their last 13 games vs. Dallas.

"To be honest, the way the game went, the opponent really wouldn't have mattered much," wide receiver Darius Slayton said. "A lot of the stuff that we did was self-inflicted, or it was mistakes that we made that were technique based or assignment based. So, it wouldn't have mattered if it was them or Teaneck High School. There are just things we did that you just can't do and expect to win football games in this league.

"I think we all expected to go out there and execute it better. We all expected to play better, but we didn't. … The only thing you can do coming out of a game like we just had, the situation that we're in right now is go to work and do the things that we know how to do to rectify it."

Daboll easily stuck to his script when asked if the offensive line "is an area that draws your attention to what needs to be much better?"

"I'd say every area," Daboll said. "After a game like last night, every area we've got to draw our attention to. But that's what we've got to do as a coaching staff, that's what we've got to do as players. We've got to improve in, I'd say, a number of areas and try to take the next step the upcoming week.

"There were a few things you can build on but when you get beat like the way we got beat, no excuses. I'd say there's a lot of work that needs to be done, a lot of corrections that need to be made and that's what we'll do today."

Daboll has demonstrated he's not reluctant to make lineup changes if he is convinced they will help the team. In his head coaching debut a year ago today, the Giants overcame a scoreless first half to win in Tennessee, 21-20, thanks to a late successful 2-point conversion and the Titans' Randy Bullock hooking a 47-yard field goal attempt on the game's final play.

Two starters in that game were wide receiver Kenny Golladay and inside linebacker Austin Calitro, who played 46 and 44 snaps, respectively. In the home opener the following week vs. Carolina, those numbers plummeted to two and five snaps. Neither player was on the field much after that, and Calitro was released on Nov. 23.

Now, Daboll must decide if some players who earned starting jobs in training camp should be considered for a reduced role.

"We evaluate the tape, I'd say, with a critical eye starting with us as a staff first and the players and then if – not to go back into last year, but you sit down as a coaching staff during the week," Daboll said. "Obviously, you take into account what happened the previous game and you have difficult discussions if you need to have them and then try to make the best decision you can for the team based off of – you do look at performance in training camp, no question about it, but you also are real with performance in the game. So, I'd say it's probably a little bit of both and at the end of the day you've got to make the decision you think is going to help your team."

After what happened last night, Daboll will have much to consider this week.

*Daboll did not have an update on left tackle Andrew Thomas, who was the only starting offensive lineman who did not play every snap due to a hamstring injury. His substitute, Matt Peart, also had an MRI. Gano said he got "cleated" after being knocked to the ground while chasing Noah Igbinoghene, who scored on the blocked field goal. Daboll said he would have more on those players Wednesday.