The Giants are experts at losing. Mostly this season, they have been routine losers, getting beat in orderly fashion, with angst-free regularity.

And so, perhaps in some twisted way it is a sign of progress that their latest loss was filled with anguish for plays not made and regret for opportunities that were squandered. This was closer and thus more frustrating than the six losses that came before it. For a team desperate for any hint of consolation, a deceptively lopsided 37-18 loss to the Cowboys on Monday night at MetLife Stadium might actually represent progress, as sad as that sounds.

This was much closer and competitive than the 35-17 loss to the Cowboys in the season opener, more heated and intense, with scuffles and penalty flags flying, chants of “Let’s go Cowboys’’ and “Cowboys suck’’ pouring down from the fans, with thousands of Dallas supporters among the crowd of 76,107. The Giants led 12-3 in the second quarter, were down 13-12 at halftime and were within 23-18 early in the fourth quarter
before faltering.

The Cowboys made the game look like a rout when Daniel Jones was sacked and fumbled and the loose ball was returned 63 yards for a touchdown by Jourdan Lewis with six seconds left to play.

This sets up quite a lowdown showdown in Week 10, with the Giants (2-7) facing the Jets (1-7) in a game to determine who is worst in the land. The Giants go into that game riding a five-game losing streak.

Down by only five points, the Giants defense believed it was off the field when on third down Dak Prescott threw too long for Amari Cooper. A flag was thrown late and rookie DeAndre Baker was hit for pass interference, a call made directly in front of the incensed Giants sideline.

It was a soft call but it was hard on the Giants, as it led to Prescott hitting Cooper on a 45-yard catch-and-run for the clinching touchdown with 7:56 to go.

The Cowboys (5-3) now own a six-game winning streak over the Giants.

This was a wasteful evening for Jones and the Giants, as their red-zone offense was atrocious. They settled for four Aldrick Rosas field goals after reaching the Dallas 2-, 7-, 8- and 10-yard line and failing to reach the end zone is not the way to upset a playoff-caliber division opponent.

Turnovers continue to be a huge problem for Jones. He threw his eighth interception of the season late in the second quarter on a deep ball to Darius Slayton that was picked off by Xavier Woods. In the third quarter, Jones took off on a designed run on third-and-6, picked up the necessary 6 yards but on his dive to the turf had the ball knocked out of his grasp by Woods. It was Jones’ seventh lost fumble of the season. The two turnovers led to six points for the Cowboys. Jones added his eighth lost fumble in the closing seconds.

The Giants did not own a lead in the entire month of October, as they lost all four games they played that month and trailed for every second of all four games. That changed right away Monday.

Prescott came in with a streak of 183 consecutive passes against the Giants without throwing an interception but his first pass was picked off by safety Antoine Bethea, putting the Giants on the Dallas 8-yard line. The Giants could not punch it into the end zone, though, the start of a trend. They settled for a Rosas field goal to go ahead 3-0.

In the second quarter, the Giants put together a 12-play, 73-yard drive that reached the Dallas 7-yard line and featured a Jones pass to Golden Tate for 16 yards and Jones, trying to make a block, getting hit hard by safety Xavier Woods. The Giants stalled out again, forcing another field goal to make it 12-3. Holding a lead is something rare for the Giants, but it could have been a larger margin.

The only touchdown the Giants secured in the first half was fueled by a 16-yard designed run by Jones and a brilliant one-handed catch by
Tate on the 1-yard line with cornerback Byron Jones draped all over him. That set up Jones’ scoring flip to Cody Latimer, but Rosas dulled the festivities by clanging the extra point off the right upright.

After all the good work by the Giants, they trailed at halftime 13-12, as coach Pat Shurmur got greedy and with 48 seconds left in the half and called for three pass plays — he must have thought his quarterback was Aaron Rodgers and not a rookie. A deep ball by Jones was intercepted by Woods and returned 29 yards, allowing Brett Maher to hit a 52-yard field goal as the clock expired.

It was a tightrope act for the Giants on defense in the first half. Ezekiel Elliott ran 13 times for 80 yards (he finished with 139 yards) but the Cowboys turned the ball over twice, first on the Prescott interception and in the second quarter when Jabrill Peppers forced a fumble on Randall Cobb. The lone Cowboys touchdown came when tight end Blake Jarwin caught a short pass, left Alec Ogletree in space and galloped for a 42-yard scoring play.

Ref;nypost.com