You could have given free rein to your imagination:

Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles running back, returns to MetLife Stadium this Sunday…to the cheers of Giants fans who admired his gifts and his class…to the scorn of Giants fans who wrongly view him as a traitor escaping to greener financial meadows.

Waiting for Saquon Barkley would be a rising 3-3 team starting to believe, while rookie phenom Malik Nabers is cleared from the concussion protocol, fingers crossed.

One game out of first place in the NFC East.

Daniel Jones got his chance Sunday night against the Bengals to change the narrative for himself, and for his team, and for the season.

His 1-14 prime time story.

That became 1-15 after Bengals 17, Giants 7.

“It’s very frustrating not to score more than seven points,” Jones said.

At the end, with the Bengals trailing 10-7 at the 36, Jones’ fourth-and-2 pass over the middle to Darius Slayton was interrupted by DJ Turner II. The right call with a struggling FG kicker.

“I would do it again,” coach Brian Daboll said.

Early on, Jones was just 14 yards from the Giants’ first touchdown at MetLife Stadium. First down.

Jones looked for the end zone, a spot he had not given his team at MetLife Stadium this season.

And attempted a pass he should never have attempted.

With B.J. Hill in his face, falling backwards, Jones forced what amounted to a desperate Hail Mary pop, a serious mistake for a rookie quarterback. It was intercepted at the 3-yard line by Germaine Pratt.

Primetime Daniel.

“I’m just focused on winning games, playing well and winning games,” Jones said.

Red Zone Daniel.

“I’m sure he’d like to have that back,” Daboll said, “and I’d certainly like to have the play-calling back when you get a result like that.”

Yes, Daniel (22-41, 205 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT, 11-56 rushing) would like to have that back.

“Trying to get the ball out of the back of the end zone, got hit, I gotta throw it sooner or get the ball down,” Jones said.

It was only his second interception since his nightmare opener against the Vikings.

“Not what we want to do,” Daboll said. “You can impose that on me.”

Very honorable. For a team with no margin for error, this turned out to be a killer.

“It’s hard to win a game when you score seven points,” Daboll said.

Once again, The Little Engine That Couldn’t pressure the Bengals defense with an explosive play. “We’ve got to find a way to generate some,” Jones said.

Until the final two minutes, when Chase Brown rumbled for a go-ahead 30-yard touchdown, the Giants defense had smothered Joe Burrow, with the exception of his stunning 47-yard touchdown on third-and-18 on the opening possession, for all good. it did.

And Daboll threw the kitchen sink at Jones & Co. to help. Desperate for a spark, Daboll’s decision to go on fourth-and-2 at NYG 38 while trailing 7-0 early in the third quarter was baffling. And Jones had his pass over the middle interrupted by Mike Hilton.

“I felt good about the stuff we had,” Daboll said.

Daboll got lucky when Zack Moss lost a fumble to Micah McFadden. Daboll was wary of how explosive Burrow could be and couldn’t control the riverboat gambler in him. Fourth-and-2 at his 40, this time a Jones throw to dynamic rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr. the first defeat.

And this time, after an 18-yard PI penalty against Turner II on Slayton in the end zone, Tracy’s 1-yard TD run for the Giants’ first MetLife Stadium TD this season tied the score at 7-7.

With help from Tracy and a third-down fourth-down conversion, Jones marched the Giants into FG range but couldn’t complete a third-and-5 pass over the middle to Wan’Dale Robinson before Greg Joseph hooked a 47-yard wide left . Bengals 10, Giants 7.

This is mainly how Jones & Co. played offensively:

A pair of third-down throws right in front of the sticks…A deep shot too long for Slayton…A 56-yard YAC completion for Slayton on an RPO that was wiped out by an ineligible man on the field against Andrew Thomas … A couple of failed deep shots for Jalin Hyatt .

“Seven points is not enough,” Daboll said.

The 2-4 Giants can’t win at home (0-3). The quarterback can’t win in prime time. Giants fans longing for a team worthy of their cheers deserve better.