Daniel Jones' debut was fabulous. Now comes hard part for Giants.

To hear New York sports radio pundits crow Monday morning, you'd have thought Giants quarterback Daniel Jones was the second coming of Joe Namath. One for the ages, the savior, equal parts talent and moxie, the new swaggering king of New York. Broadway Joe meets Broadway Jones.

But after one dynamic debut, now comes the hard part: keeping Jones upright.

Of all the stats from Sunday’s spectacular start, one stands out. Not the 336 passing yards or two passing touchdowns. Not the two rushing touchdowns, and not even the 18-point deficit New York overcame, the Giants’ biggest second-half rally in 70 years.

The big number is five -- that's how many times Jones was sacked Sunday by a less-than-fearsome Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense. He was constantly harried behind an offensive line that was supposed to be among the most improved in the NFL. Jones fumbled twice, both recovered by Tampa Bay.

“There were mistakes within there,” Giants head coach Pat Shurmur told reporters about the offensive line after the game. “There were a couple of times when we took a couple sacks, the fumbles, some of that loose stuff, we can work on that, there’s drills for that. There’s stuff that he did in the game, there’s not drills for that. We believed in him from the day we drafted him and first time out he didn’t disappoint.”

If Shurmur chooses to gloat now, it’s understandable.

The Giants’ selection of Jones at No. 6 was widely panned by prognosticators who believed they probably could have taken him at pick No. 17, or even later. The Duke product was considered a fringe first-round pick by most.

To see him deliver in such a way in his first start must provide ample satisfaction for the Giants' front office.

But how long will Shurmur be smiling if Jones is sidelined?

Through three games, New York’s offensive line ranks 14th in the NFL by Pro Football Focus, with seven sacks allowed, though ancient statue Eli Manning was behind center the first two games. And now with all-world running back Saquon Barkley sidelined one to two months because of an ankle injury, it’s not as if the pressure will let up.

“I’ve already acknowledged the fact that when you lose a player like Saquon, it hurts in some ways, but it creates opportunities for others,” Shurmur said. “That’s just the way it is. Daniel’s just got to do what he can do.”

He can only do what the offensive line will allow him, and the Giants certainly have spent enough up front to expect better results.

Last offseason, they signed former New England Patriot Nate Solder to a six-year, $42 million deal, paying the zero-time Pro Bowl left tackle as if he were the next Anthony Munoz. During the same offseason, they drafted Will Hernandez with the second pick of the second round and signed guard Patrick Omameh to a three-year, $15 million contract, only for him to play poorly for six games before a Week 7 knee injury. He was released just weeks later -– so much for that $5.5 million bonus. With a glaring hole at guard, New York traded pass-rush specialist Olivier Vernon to the Cleveland Browns for Kevin Zeitler, one of the best in his position in the NFL.

On paper, the Giants have a competent unit that should rank among the league’s best.

On game day, the offensive line hasn't shown that competency. For Jones to deliver on his considerable promise, the Giants must continue to pony up –- in both financial capital and draft capital. Once you get a quarterback whom you believe in, you do whatever it takes to keep him safe. (Unless you’re the Indianapolis Colts during the Ryan Grigson era.)

Granted, for the Giants to even be in this position is something.

No one expected Jones to shine this brilliantly and this quickly. It was enough to make New York sports radio hosts giddy.

As one local host said of Jones on Monday morning, “It’s almost like he’s oblivious to the pressure.”

Well, not quite.