NEW YORK — The New York Giants‘ 27-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers at MetLife Stadium, in the team’s first game since Brian Daboll’s firing, wasn’t even Sunday’s main event.

A report about concussed franchise quarterback Jaxson Dart was leaked to ESPN, saying that “people both inside and outside the Giants organization spoke with Dart and urged the rookie quarterback to be more thoughtful and careful with when and how he runs.”

The report said “Dart has been told repeatedly, especially this past week, that missing games hurts his team more than not gaining extra yards and that he can’t help his team if he’s not in the game.”

And ESPN specifically pointed out that “Giants quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney,” Daboll’s buddy who remains on the staff, “has shown Dart videos of multiple quarterbacks and pointed out the difference between being aggressive and acting in self-preservation.”

Then FOX aired a report saying that GM Joe Schoen, who did not do an interview this week after Daboll’s firing, had spoken to national insider Jay Glazer to make clear the team isn’t going to hire a college head coach to fill the vacancy.

The national game-day reports were a reminder of how much insider spin is going to come out down the home stretch of the Giants season with Schoen trying to retain his job and coaches potentially holding grudges.

The Dart report in particular, though, was highly unusual. It put the entire onus on Dart for staying healthy and changing his playing style on behalf of … whom? Tierney?

Dart’s promise and reputation are literally the only things holding this franchise anywhere close to upright. Why would someone take potshots at him now, on such a huge stage, so loudly?

Especially because there is so much more to Dart’s situation than just the quarterback’s awareness.

Daboll, play caller Mike Kafka and Tierney have left him in recent games during garbage time and called designed runs to have him take extra hits for no reason other than to pad the team’s stats.

That is incongruent with this sudden blame placed completely on Dart for putting his body in harm’s way.

If the player is charged with being responsible with his body, aren’t the coaches the ones in charge of putting him in favorable positions and removing him from the game to protect him when games are decided?

That sends mixed messages to the rookie quarterback. Tierney’s placement in this story, though, is extremely interesting.

Tierney is the one who had a full conversation with a concussed Dart in between drives on the sideline in Chicago last Sunday — after Dart was lying motionless on the field — and didn’t notice before Dart went back in the game.

In fact, Tierney said he didn’t even speak to Dart about why the quarterback didn’t reach out for the ball after he fumbled it.

There is no question Dart needs to be smarter about his running style at times. But pretending his aggressiveness is the only variable here is absurd.

And making this public in this manner — and pointing out that a quarterback coach isn’t to blame — is eyebrow-raising to say the least.

Perhaps the leaks for this story are covering people’s backsides in case they bring Dart back in Detroit next week and he gets sent to the blue tent a fifth time this year.

Tierney, by the way, was Daniel Jones’ position coach when the Giants benched and released him and blamed all of their shortcomings on the quarterback who was then widely presumed a failure.

That’s the same Jones who has had a career resurgence since leaving the Giants while leading the Indianapolis Colts to a league-best 8-2 record.

Don’t be fooled by all of this moving of goalposts and accountability through leaks. Keep focused on the real issue here:

Kafka and the Giants appear to have at least one rat in the building. Daboll’s firing — shocker — didn’t pull the problems of this operation out by its roots.

The foundation starts with Schoen and filters all the way down to Sunday’s sideline on gameday, where the Giants fell to 2-9 on the season with their fifth straight loss.

They’re now looking at two brutal road games at the Detroit Lions and the New England Patriots before their late bye week.

So buckle up. This will keep getting weirder — and worse.

Carter disciplined for 'mistake'

No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter had an enormous opportunity on Sunday with Kayvon Thibodeaux (shoulder) out, but the rookie edge rusher made “a mistake” that got him benched for the first defensive series of the game in favor of Tomon Fox.

“I made a mistake during the week that was detrimental to the team,” Carter said, without specifying his error. “That was the consequence I had to live with.”

Carter had only two pressures, one quarterback hit and one tackle on a disappointing day.

More 4th quarter woes

The Giants again coughed up a fourth quarter lead. This time it was a 20-19 advantage with 7:22 to play.

“Something has to happen in the fourth quarter,” left guard Jon Runyan Jr. said. “When it comes down to it, we just don’t have it. We’re not getting it done.”

Packers quarterback Jordan Love had all day to throw on a 33-yard completion to Savion Williams to set up a 17-yard touchdown pass to Christian Watson on a terrific catch. Love hit running back Emanuel Wilson for the two-point conversion to take a seven-point lead.

Then Jameis Winston was intercepted in the end zone by the Packers’ Evan Williams with 36 seconds left to essentially end the game.

Jalin Hyatt stopped running his route, as if he didn’t expect the ball to come to him. And Williams secured it.

“It was a little flag route,” Hyatt said. “I gotta make the play. It’s as simple as that.”

The Giants’ players have an off day on Monday in Kafka’s first full week as head coach. Then they’ll get ready for next Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions.

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