The return of two starting offensive tackles and wide receiver Sterling Shepard should have provided a lift in body and spirit for the Giants and provided Daniel Jones with additional protection and firepower playing the Bears in Chicago. Instead, the Giants put forth one of their least productive offensive showings of a dismal season.

Their 14 first downs was their second-lowest total of the season. Their 134 net passing yards was their third-lowest total. Their one converted third down was the fewest since an early October game in 2018. The only good news? Jones for the first time in his rookie year went consecutive games without throwing an interception.

So, on an afternoon when the rightfully criticized defense was able to contain the offensive stylings of Mitchell Trubisky, it was the failure to generate enough scoring that led to consecutive loss No. 7. Leaving Soldier Field with a 19-14 loss was a predictable exit for a team that fell to 2-9 and is now in position for the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. It should be quite a fight to the finish, with the Giants and winless Bengals playing in December for draft positioning.

The lingering speculation as to Pat Shurmur’s job security cannot and should not be ignored. A guy can make a nice living for a long time if he hits .283 with some power. A coach cannot hang around if his winning percentage is .283. One day Shurmur might look back at his two shots at head-coaching gigs and bemoan getting hired by the Browns in their dysfunctional stage and the Giants in the twilight and end of Eli Manning’s career and in the throes of a major rebuild.

Shurmur is 17-43 as a head coach in the NFL and 7-20 with the Giants. The latest loss was a slight change in the script. Shurmur won only five games last season even though his kicker, Aldrick Rosas, was nearly perfect, hitting 32 of 33 field goals. Shurmur’s team lost by five points in Chicago and Rosas cost his team six points with two missed field goals. The usually ineffective defense run by coordinator James Bettcher made Trubisky look like a fairly competent quarterback, but the Giants only allowed one touchdown drive all game. It was Shurmur’s offense that was most responsible for loss No. 9 and there must be a modicum of concern about how wearing this is on rookie Daniel Jones.

Jones has 17 touchdown passes and eight interceptions — perfectly acceptable totals for a 22-year old going through all this for the first time. His NFL-high 10 lost fumbles are a product of shaky ball security, shaky protection and shaky awareness from Jones and often those around him. Veterans have to pick up the youngsters and left tackle Nate Solder could have come to Jones’ aid by recovering the fumble caused when Khalil Mack beat Solder off the snap in the third quarter.

No one picks anyone up with these Giants, which is why they have fallen so low.

More slop served up as the Giants lost again:

— Along the sideline and bench area, Saquon Barkley can be seen trying to encourage his teammates, verbally seeking to maintain a positive attitude even as the action on the field is depressingly ineffective. It is not easy to do but Barkley takes his captaincy seriously and understands he must do what he can to keep the faith. “That’s my mindset,” Barkley said. “Every time we touch the field, we’re going to score. Every game, we’re going to win. Obviously, the outcome hasn’t been that way that much this season. Every time you go out there you probably aren’t going to score. You got to have that belief. You got to believe it first before it actually happens.”

— It is the sound that always is heard this time of year in this situation. The season is not over but might as well be and no one is looking forward to the slow slog through the final month. The rookies are simply trying to make it through the day. The veterans voice what no player wants to admit. “We got what, five more opportunities to go out there?” linebacker Alec Ogletree said. “That’s all we got to look forward to. This is our job, this is how we feed our family and stuff. We have to go out there and battle.”

— When the Giants pulled off the unprecedented trade with the Jets to acquire Leonard Williams, it was done with the understanding Williams would be signed to a long-term contract. What did the Giants see in Williams that the Jets did not? Thus far, in three games with his new team, Williams has not come close to proving wrong anything the Jets said and believe about him. Against the Bears, Williams did not put much of a dent in the defensive stat sheet with his workload (46 of the 76 defensive snaps) with one assisted tackle and one quarterback hit. Williams was a high draft pick who did not live up to the lofty expectations on him with the Jets. The Giants seemingly saw enough to plan on committing to him before he ever put on their uniform. It is hard to see where the Giants are going here, especially if they plan to give Williams big money.

— This is a proving ground for several players on the roster. Linebacker Deone Bucannon did not do much in his first three games with the Giants and it is fair to wonder if he can come close to matching the production he had with the Cardinals from 2014 through the 2017 season. Bucannon did some good things in Chicago, with five tackles in only 27 snaps, and his speed does show up on the field. He has another month to show some more.

— The Giants have had some bad teams through the years with some very good punters — Dave Jennings was their best player for much of the mid-’70s and early ‘80s — and Riley Dixon is fitting into that mold. He had a great game against the Bears, averaging 51.4 yards and putting four of his five punts down inside the 20-yard line. In a season where kicker Aldrick Rosas has been a huge disappointment, the 26-year old Dixon is finding a home with the Giants.

— Rosas is the first Giants kicker to miss consecutive field-goal attempts in the same game in 14 years, since Jay Feely missed three in a row in an infamous loss in Seattle.

— Shurmur said if Sterling Shepard was active for the first time in six games. he would get a full load and he was not kidding. Shepard played 57 of the 60 offensive snaps in his return from concussion protocol.

— The Giants say they want to establish a power running game with their big offensive line, but it is largely lip service. Barkley clearly is not at full strength coming off a high ankle sprain and yet he played 58 of the 60 snaps. Wayne Gallman got on the field for the other two snaps and had one rushing attempt for one yard. Why not give Gallman a series or two, which would provide some needed rest for Barkley and keep a fresh running back on the field at all times? Also, why eschew using a fullback (Eli Penny got three snaps) if the desire is to pound the ball on the ground?

— As promised after the bye, rookie safety Julian Love was involved, with 42 of the 76 snaps on defense. Love got his first NFL interception to start the third quarter. The youth movement continued with Sam Beal, the second-year cornerback, who got 28 snaps on defense, sharing time with fellow rookie DeAndre Baker (48 snaps).