EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Daniel Jones used the words "frustrated" or "frustrating" in a postgame news conference that lasted less than five minutes.

Dexter Lawrence said his level of frustration is "extremely high."

Brian Burns said the current Giants team "needs to grow up."

The Giants' locker room in Acrisure Stadium was not a happy place as Monday night turned into Tuesday morning. That, of course, is wholly understandable considering the Giants had just lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 26-18. The defeat was their third in a row and dropped their record to 2-6. It was the sixth time in eight games they scored fewer than 20 points.

The aggravation was evident well before the Giants filed into their locker room. Lawrence made his feelings known to several defensive backs after George Pickens seemingly caught a touchdown pass. That the score was overturned on replay didn't mollify one of the Giants' defensive captains.

"I'm a passionate guy and I just said, 'We gotta play harder, we gotta stop that play, that play shouldn't have happened,'" Lawrence said. "It shouldn't, came down to the decision and I just said we gotta play harder. We let a touchdown happen; we want to prevent those in the red area."

After the Giants scored their only touchdown in the game in the fourth quarter, their 2-point conversion try from an unorthodox formation failed, prompting Jones' negative reaction to be unusually demonstrative.

"I don't have concern with that," coach Brian Daboll said of the emotional outbursts. "I think we have guys, like Dex, who's a good leader. I want leaders to be able to do that. Again, that's part of leadership at times. We have a close-knit group. It's a competitive game. Things like that are going to happen at times. But our guys are pretty close."

Daboll certainly understands the players' reactions. He's been an NFL coach for 24 years and has been immersed in some unpleasant situations. Daboll understands better than anyone that players won't accept poor play without a fight, physically or emotionally. Their next opportunity to get step on a winning path is Sunday at home against the Washington Commanders.

"Losing is frustrating," Daboll said today. "So, what we can do is control the things that we can control. You put everything you have into this each week. When you're having all those meetings and you're going through all those practices and you're giving everything you have on the field, everybody, and you don't get the results, certainly that is. So, particularly right after a game, that was a close game. That was a competitive game and nobody's happy with our record. I've said that before. So, we have to come in with the right mindset like we do each week and do everything we can do to put the best product on a field we can on Sunday and that's always the challenging par. But you're never happy after a loss. That's why you do this, to win."

Prior to joining the Giants in 2022, Daboll was a long-time highly successful offensive assistant and coordinator. This season, his third with the Giants, he is calling the plays for the first time. The Giants' average of 16.7 points a game is the NFL's second lowest, but Daboll will not question his belief that the offense is capable of higher achievement.

"I think all you can do is prepare as hard as you can prepare, all of us," he said. "Then go out there with confidence to go out there and execute the plays, to call the plays and to be on time with them. That's why you prepare for it. So, again, you do everything you can do each and every week to prepare the right way, to practice the right way. We want different results. We've got to continue to work to try to get those."

Three fourth-quarter plays illustrate where the Giants' offense currently stands.

The first was the 2-point conversion attempt. Jones stood in shotgun formation in the middle of the field behind center John Michael Schmitz, who was flanked by tackle Chris Hubbard and tight end Theo Johnson. To the far left, five players formed a wall in front of wide receiver Malik Nabers. Jones caught the snap and fired immediately to Nabers, but Alex Highsmith slipped through the blockers and broke up the pass.

"We've been working on it for a while," Daboll said. "(Running back Devin Singletary, part of the wall) was actually checking with the official to make sure that he was on the line of scrimmage. Daniel saw the look that we needed to get to where we were just gonna throw the ball out there to Malik. We had a bunch of blockers, but he was talking to the official and (after) he snapped it, Daniel threw it out there and there were only two guys out there and he got by him."

When he did, Jones angrily vented as he walked to the sideline.

"I was just upset we didn't convert it," Jones said.

"I loved seeing his competitiveness," Daboll said. "He works his butt off, and there is no one in this locker room that takes it harder than him. He played hard. Thought he did a lot of good things."

The Giants had a chance to tie the game when Bobby Okereke recovered Russell Wilson's fumble at the Pittsburgh 37-yard line with 4:34 remaining. They got as far as the 19, but on third down, perennial game-wrecker T.J. Watt slipped past tackle Jermaine Eluemunor to force and recover Jones' fumble.

As he had much of the game, Johnson was supposed to help Eluemunor. "Jermaine was anticipating a chip," Daboll said. Jones took responsibility for leaving the tackle alone against one of the league's premier pass rushers.

"I didn't shift him," Jones said. "Jermaine's expecting me to shift so he didn't get that. And so that's my fault."

A final opportunity arose after the Steelers punted and the Giants took over at their own 7-yard line with 1:53 left. They advanced to the Pittsburgh 35, but Jones' second-down pass to Singletary sailed over the running back's head and was intercepted by rookie Beanie Bishiop.

"Threw it too high," Jones said.

"On the last play, the ball got away from him a little bit on the interception," Daboll said. "The series before that, we got the strip sack. I think that he did some good things throughout the game, made some good decisions, made some good checks. I thought he pushed the ball down the field and gave our guys some opportunities to make. … And he did a good job of operating the plays and the checks and things that we had in that environment. So, I thought he did some good things and then ultimately, like you said at the end there, it's all of us. We just didn't get it done.

"But I thought he played extremely hard, competitive, fiery. That's what you want from your quarterback."

It's still oh-so-frustrating when you lose.

*Daboll didn't elaborate on the reason cornerback Deonte Banks was benched in the second quarter and did not return to the game. He did say Banks will start against Washington.

"I would just say we made that decision and went in a different direction after the first 27 plays," Daboll said. "I have full confidence in Tae that he'll be ready to go this week, and we'll do everything we can to help him be ready to go."

*Tyrone Tracy, who leads the Giants in rushing attempts (73), yards (376) and average (5.2 a carry) is in the NFL concussion protocol.