The Giants defense held strong and the offense showed life, but it wasn't enough in a 21-18 loss to the Washington Commanders.
Here are the key takeaways...
-The opening kickoff was disastrous for the Giants. Big Blue was fortunate that a holding penalty negated a would-be Austin Ekeler 98-yard return touchdown, but kicker Graham Gano was also hurt on the play trying to chase Ekeler down. Gano was added to the Giants’ injury report on Saturday with a groin issue, and he seemed to be in a lot of pain as he was helped to the sidelines.
The Giants ruled Gano doubtful to return, which led to Jamie Gillan handling kicking duties (more on that below).
-Without a kicker (Gillan shanked an extra point attempt and the Giants stayed away from him the rest of the way), the Giants went for it on 4th-and-3 from the Washington 31-yard line early in the fourth quarter, picking it up with a throw to Malik Nabers. With the drive still alive, Daniel Jones eventually found Wan’Dale Robinson for a seven-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion went off of Darius Slayton’s finger tips, but Big Blue still led 18-15. In this case, not having a healthy kicker led to a go-ahead touchdown.
But on the other side of that coin, with the game tied later in the fourth quarter and the Giants inside the Commanders' 25-yard line, Big Blue went for it on 4th-and-4, and Nabers dropped what should have been an easy first-down pickup. The Giants ended a promising drive with no points, setting up Washington for their final possession.
The Commanders took advantage, driving down the field and setting up Austin Seibert for a 30-yard game winner, his seventh field goal of the game.
-The Big Blue offense had much more juice in this game than they did in the opener against Minnesota, and a lot of that can be attributed to Nabers getting in on the action early and often. The No. 6 overall pick had a big first half, including a 28-yard catch-and-run, and he capped off the strong half with a four-yard touchdown catch just before halftime. Nabers had five catches for 73 yards and a score in the first two quarters.
In the second half, Nabers remained the focus of the passing game, and on a key third-down play late in the fourth, Nabers picked up 25 yards on a shallow cross, setting the Giants up deep in Washington territory.
His costly fourth-down drop may be the story of the day, but Nabers was impressive with 10 catches for 127 yards and a touchdown. He was targeted a whopping 18 times while no other Giants had more than four targets.
-Daniel Jones was asked this week if he was playing for his job, and if he was, it sure seems like he won't be seeing the bench any time soon. Jones' numbers weren't all that flashy, but he took care of the football and completed 16 of 28 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns.
-The Giants defense bent plenty of times, but they would not break. Washington, featuring a plethora of quick passes from QB Jayden Daniels, put together a trio of long, methodical drives in the first half, picking up some key third and fourth downs while also tallying 185 yards of total offense. But every time the Commanders approached the red zone, the Giants clamped down and held them to field goals.
Thanks to some costly Washington penalties, the Commanders had to kick five field goals in their first five red zone opportunities.
-A big momentum swing came on the Giants’ first drive of the second half. Leading 12-9 and looking to increase the lead, the Giants drove down the field, but Devin Singletary fumbled at the Washington 32-yard line, with Benjamin St-Juste punching the ball free. Instead of going up by five or 10 points, Singletary’s fumble killed a promising drive and gave Washington the momentum.
Fortunately, the Giants defense clamped down in the red zone once again, though Seibert's fourth field goal tied the game, 12-12.
-Brian Robinson Jr. proved to be a big problem for the Giants defense. The bruising back had a big day on the ground, including a 40-yarder that eventually led to Washington’s fifth field goal, putting them up by three.
Robinson finished the day with 133 yards on seven carries.
Who was the game MVP?
Seibert, who bailed out the Commanders' offense with seven field goals.