Engram knows he must be better

Let the record show Evan Engram opened up his second NFL season with a quiet performance, catching two passes for 18 yards Sunday as the Giants offense labored in a 20-15 loss to the Jaguars at MetLife Stadium.

Let the record also show Engram knows he should have had more, done more, and contributed more to an attack — operating on an unusually chilly and wet September afternoon — that needed him.

“I pretty much had three drops,’’ Engram said. “I got to be better, not gonna make any excuses, got to find a way to be better in these conditions, find a way to make the big plays.’’

Engram last season caught 64 passes, the fourth highesttotal for any Giants rookie in franchise history, but was among the league leaders in drops. There were times when he nearly made significant plays against the Jaguars, but came up short for a variety of reasons.

On the opening series, with the Giants trailing 3-0, Engram leaped for a reception and a 34-yard gain, and he celebrated when he got back to his feet. There was a yellow flag in the end zone, though, and the catch was nullified by a holding penalty on right tackle Ereck Flowers.

“That was tough,’’ Engram said. “It would have been a huge momentum swing for us, a huge momentum swing for myself. That was a big play for us, put us in position on the first drive when our defense held ’em to three [points]. It was definitely kind of gut-wrenching but we still had a long game ahead of us.’’

In the second quarter, Engram got tangled with a Jaguars defender, a flag was thrown and it looked as if the Giants had a chunk of yardage awarded to them. Engram, though, was called for offensive pass interference. Replays did not indicate much wrongdoing, but Engram did not blame anyone but himself.

“I kinda had extended my arm, I probably could have done a better job of creating separation, not extending all the way,’’ Engram said. “The ref saw what he saw and made a call. I definitely have to clean that up.’’