While the NFL adjusted its COVID-19 protocols and tussled with the players’ union over enforcement measures on Thursday, Giants defensive players continued to drop like flies.

Unvaccinated corner Adoree Jackson became the sixth Giants player to test positive for COVID-19 since Monday, ruling him out of Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Unvaccinated positive corner Aaron Robinson already was out. Unvaccinated safety Xavier McKinney’s status is up in the air as a high-risk close contact.

Reserve corner Steven Parker and linebacker Reggie Ragland were sidelined from Thursday’s practice by a non-COVID illness. And defensive lineman Leonard Williams (triceps) and Austin Johnson (foot) are trying to push through significant injuries.

Defensive coordinator Pat Graham couldn’t honestly say who will play for him this weekend.

“They’ll be wearing blue helmets, I know that,” Graham said Thursday with a laugh and a shrug. “So we’ll see. It’s a little funky right now.”

That’s one word for it.

Tempers ran high across the league as the virus continued to rage at a record pace.

There were 26 players placed on the NFL’s COVID-19 reserve list Thursday afternoon. That increased the total to 122 players since Monday, compared to 110 total from Sept. 5 through Nov. 27.

Then after 4 p.m. Thursday, nine more L.A. Rams players were placed on the reserve list.

So now three teams have at least 20 players on the COVID reserve list: the Cleveland Browns, the Washington Football Team and the Rams.

The NFL responded by amending its protocols on Friday for the remainder of this game week.

The league is reinstituting stringent measures like mask mandates to prevent further spread, while also adjusting its return-to-play protocol to allow asymptomatic, vaccinated players to come back quicker after a positive test.

“Throughout the pandemic we have continuously evolved our protocols to meet our goal of advancing the safety of the players, coaches and staff,” the NFL said in a statement. “The changes we are making aim to address the increase in cases and the advent of the Omicron variant. Effective immediately, all clubs will implement preventative measures that have proven effective: masking regardless of vaccination status, remote or outdoor meetings, eliminating in-person meals, and no outside visitors while on team travel.”

The league is continuing to strongly encourage booster shots as “the most effective protection.” And it is reinstituting limits on players’ and staffers’ social gatherings at concerts, games, indoor bars and nightclubs.

Its most meaningful adjustment, though, is that asymptomatic vaccinated players now can return as quickly as 24 hours after a positive test, if their viral load is measured low enough to not be a contagious threat.

Previously, only 20% of positive players had been able to test out of the protocol earlier than the mandated 10-day threshold. The changes take effect immediately, so many of the asymptomatic vaccinated players who tested positive this week still have a chance to come back for the weekend’s games.

There was confusion and frustration on Thursday, though, particularly from the Cleveland Browns, who are scheduled to host the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday afternoon.

Browns center J.C. Tretter is the NFLPA’s president, and the union was pushing aggressively for the league to postpone the game, according to ProFootballTalk. The report said there are even some in the players’ union who believe the entire season should shut down for a week.

The NFL had no plans to postpone the Browns-Raiders game as of Thursday evening.

But Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, who is out due to a positive COVID-19 test himself, lashed out at the league on Twitter over Thursday’s testing procedures.

According to ProFootballTalk, teams currently in enhanced protocols tried to not test asymptomatic, vaccinated players on Thursday. But the union got involved and the league backed down and conducted the tests.

So teams like the Browns had players tested later in the day and more positives cropped up.

“Tell me if this makes sense,” Mayfield tweeted. “No tests this morning… then let our team gather for practice… then show up after practice to test them. Sometimes seems off here.

“@NFL Make up your damn mind on protocols,” Mayfield said. “Showing up and making only 3 teams test?!? All so you can keep the game as scheduled to make money.

“Actually caring about player safety would mean delaying the game with this continuing at the rate it is… But to say you won’t test vaccinated players if they don’t have symptoms, then to pull this randomly. Doesn’t make sense to me,” the QB wrote.

The Giants, at the moment, have six positive tests and seven total players on the reserve list, including McKinney. The free safety still has a chance to play in Sunday’s game if he continues testing negative the rest of the week.

The Cowboys offense packs a dangerous punch with Dak Prescott throwing to receivers Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup.

“If we had all our guys healthy, I think it would be a challenge for us either way,” top corner James Bradberry said. “So it’s definitely a challenge when you don’t have all your guys.”

Young corner Jarren Williams, 24, projects to make his first career NFL start at outside corner opposite Bradberry. And Logan Ryan, Julian Love and J.R. Reed are working at safety.

Love can play both corner and safety, though, and he said Joe Judge and Graham are emphasizing versatility in practice to prepare for all contingencies during this crazy week.

“With guys doing the things I’ve been doing the last few years, playing new roles and bouncing around a little bit, I’m really just trying to be positive and encourage them,” Love said. “When someone messes up, don’t get down on them. It’s a learning process for some people.”

“What we’ve been doing is looking straight forward to get ready for this game,” he said. “With all the outside noise, all the external things we can’t really control at this point, we could get caught up in that. But we’re confident and we’re looking to stay ready and be ready.”

GIANTS INJURY REPORT: DID NOT PRACTICE: CB Adoree Jackson (quad, reserve/COVID-19), DT Austin Johnson (foot), G Ben Bredeson (ankle), CB Steven Parker (illness), LB Reggie Ragland (illness). LIMITED: RB Saquon Barkley (ankle), QB Daniel Jones (neck), OT Andrew Thomas (ankle), DL Leonard Williams (triceps). FULL: K Graham Gano (illness)

COWBOYS INJURY REPORT: DID NOT PRACTICE: OT Tyron Smith (ankle), CB Kelvin Joseph (illness). LIMITED: RB Tony Pollard (ankle), DE DeMarcus Lawrence (foot).