Nearly 50 years.

That is how long it’s been since the Giants embarked on and completed a comeback the likes of their 32-31 escape-job victory over the Buccaneers in Tampa. A great deal must conspire together for one team to recover from a 28-10 halftime deficit and the other team to blow such a lead. There is no doubt without the verve of Daniel Jones’ makeup and the legs he is carried on, the Giants are 0-3 and never in position to get lucky, for once, when a last-second field goal attempt sailed wide to make things right for a franchise grown accustomed to wrong.

Without the gift of making something from nothing Jones brings to the field, drives are not extended, first downs are not gained and the Giants tease but do not finish. Jones may go months and more likely years before he tops what he accomplished in his first NFL start. The last time the Giants won when trailing by 18 or more points at halftime was way, way back on Nov. 15, 1970, when they trailed the Redskins 33-14 and used 21 fourth-quarter points to win 35-33.

So, Jones did something no Giants quarterback accomplished in almost 49 years. Phil Simms never did it. Eli Manning never did it. Now then, Jones did contribute some to the first-half woes, as he lost a fumble that the Buccaneers turned into seven points. In the second half, with the Giants in catch-up mode playing without injured star Saquon Barkley and forced to throw it, Jones took a beating behind an offensive line that allowed four second-half sacks. The pocket was not clean and Jones had to get dirty as he hit the grass, but he continued to get back up and make plays the Giants haven’t seen out of their quarterback since elusive Jeff Hostetler was doing his thing, also in Tampa, in Super Bowl XXV.

Jones trailed 28-25 entering the fourth quarter, a scoreboard fact that usually spells doom for the Giants. They had lost 23 consecutive regular-season games when they trailed after three quarters. Their most recent fourth-quarter rally was Nov. 14, 2016, against the Bengals.

Now then, it is revisionist history to point to what Jones can do and what Manning has never done and conclude Jones is Comeback Kid and Manning was Comeback Dud. There was a time when Manning the gunslinger specialized in late-game heroics. Check out his 2011 season – the Giants do not get anywhere near the playoffs, much less roll to another Super Bowl triumph, without Manning’s fourth-quarter brilliance. That season, Manning engineered six of his 37 game-winning fourth-quarter drives.

This is why lauding what Jones at 22 can do, compared with what Manning at 38 cannot is obvious and insignificant. The young Jones must live up to the young Eli, and the young Eli was pretty darn good.

At first glance, so is Jones. There is nothing more uplifting for a franchise as when it believes the franchise quarterback is in the building. Consider the Giants uplifted, again.

More that came out of the thrill ride in Tampa:

– Manning purposely kept a low profile, except where he was needed most. He did not come out to throw in the early warmup session. He did not come out to midfield with the other six team captains for the coin toss. After the game, he showered, dressed and was gone from the locker room before the media entered. Manning’s reaction to all things Jones was a story, a tale Manning opted he would not contribute to on this day. Yet on the field, Manning was right there, helping Jones at every break in the action and afterward, Manning was there to offer a hug and smile for the rookie. Teammates noticed all this. “It’s a start to something new,” receiver Russell Shepard said. “It’s no knock on our previous quarterback. Eli did a great job this week preparing Daniel, sat right next to him in meetings, was able to give him hints, kind of a second pair of eyes for him.”

– Life without Barkley is going to be a rude awakening for Jones and the Giants. The only healthy running back is Wayne Gallman, so there is going to have to be an addition to the roster this week. No one can replace Barkley, who will be out several weeks with a high ankle sprain. The Buccaneers for the first half completely sold out on defense to stop Barkley and did so with regularity, happy to put the game on Jones’ shoulders. It will be quite a burden moving forward, operating with a toolbox devoid of its hammer. The only upside: It looked ugly when Barkley, as he was dragged down after a 6-yard reception, got his right foot caught under safety Mike Edwards. Considering the alternative of a fractured ankle, a high ankle sprain, while a serious blow, is not season-ending. It is season-changing, though.

– Jones became the second player since 1970 to throw for at least two touchdowns and run for two touchdowns in his NFL starting debut. The Giants hope Jones pans out better than the last player to do this: the Lions’ Eric Hipple. He had a huge first start and beat the Bears on Oct. 19, 1981.

– It is difficult to sort out what was most impressive about Jones. Try this: He was pressured on 51% of his drop-backs, and on those plays he completed 12 of 16 passes for 192 yards and one touchdown. On a 46-yard strike to rookie Darius Slayton, Jones was harassed as soon as he took the snap. He was forced to scurry to his left and made the throw while Carl Nassib was lining up the hit from behind and William Gholston was smacking Jones from in front. That Jones could get his feet reset and have enough arm strength and accuracy to make this throw belies what so many of his detractors said about him during the draft process.

– Winning in a rookie debut is not commonplace around the Giants. Jones is the first quarterback to do it for the Giants since Scott Brunner won his first career start on Dec. 7, 1980. Of course, Manning’s 16-year hold on the starting job reduced the opportunities for rookie quarterbacks around the Giants.

– This is a problem that cannot continue. The Giants have two cornerbacks on a list they do not want to be on. Rookie DeAndre Baker has allowed 296 yards in coverage in three games, the second-highest total in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. Only Marshon Lattimore (334 yards) of the Saints has given up more yards. Right behind Baker is Janoris Jenkins, and this is unacceptable. His 287 yards allowed is the third-highest total in the league. Baker is trying to figure out the NFL and, even though he is a first-round pick, some of his struggles are understandable and he is getting better. Jenkins is supposed to be not only the top cornerback on the team, he is the most accomplished defensive player the Giants have. He was absolutely torched by Mike Evans. If the Giants cannot count on their Jackrabbit, they are in big, big trouble.