The New York Giants lost their seventh game of the season on Sunday to the Washington Commanders. Their 27-22 defeat at MetLife Stadium gave Washington a season sweep over the Giants. Washington (7-2) had not swept the Giants since 2021, and has done so only twice since 2011.
Unlike most games this season, the Giants’ defense was mostly to blame. Dexter Lawrence and other defensive players echoed this observation after the game. The defense had several blown coverages that Washington didn’t capitalize on, and their inability to get off the field proved devastating for the Giants.
Washington had an 11-play, 70-yard drive that lasted six minutes and a 12-play, 87-yard drive that lasted 5:13 in the first half; both drives ended in touchdowns. Washington then had a 10-play, 57-yard drive that took 4:54 off the clock and an 11-play, 63-yard drive that lasted 5:39; at least both those second-half drives ended in field goals.
Tyler Nubin’s blown coverage against Olamide Zaccheaus with 2:05 left in the game on second-and-nine was just another mistake by the secondary that all but secured victory for the Commanders.
The most crucial part of the game occurred with less than 30 seconds left in the first half. Washington suffered a Nick Allegretti offensive holding penalty that backed them up to the Giants’ 44-yard line. Brian Burns made two consecutive sensational plays (pass defenses and run STOP) to force a third-and-18 with 20 seconds left in the first half from the Giants’ 42-yard line:
Isaiah Simmons deserves significant credit for tracking Dyami Brown down for the tackle; I love to see that kind of hustle from a situational veteran who only played six snaps in the game on a team where effort is coming into question.
Dru Phillips has shined bright all season. He’s a beacon of light for Giant fans in an otherwise tenebrous season. Still, this was an untimely mistake from the rookie that gave Jayden Daniels one last chance at the end zone with six seconds on the clock and one timeout:
Washington rolled out a 3×1 set and McLaurin forced Banks to collapse on his inside move; Banks made a terrible decision in a Cover 4 defense with inside help and just six seconds left in the half. Banks was responsible for the deep fourth and gave that space to McLaurin, but then Banks failed to put up an adequate defense in recovery mode. This made the score 21-7 heading into half-time, with Washington receiving the football.
Banks surrendered the first touchdown to McLaurin as well, albeit Phillips claimed he should have switched assignments with Banks on the goal line; McLaurin had this to say about facing Banks in that spot:
The sequence of plays at the end of the first half dealt the Giants a devastating blow to their chances of winning this football game. The Giants’ defense did hold back the offense, but only seven points were scored by the offense in the first half. One reason for the lack of points was the crucial fumble after five successful runs on the Giants’ second drive:
The screen was timed well and would have likely sprung an enormous gain for Tyrone Tracy Jr., but Dante Fowler Jr. did well to beat Chris Hubbard around the edge before hitting Jones to force the fumble. Here are three of the runs from that drive:
Establishing the run was a focus for the Giants, especially since Dan Quinn was neighborly toward the run and invited it. Daniel Jones finished the first half 4 of 6 with zero passing yards and one passing touchdown; here is the touchdown to Chris Manhertz:
Other than the completion to Manhertz, the Giants took what Washington gave them and ran the football early. Here are other runs from the game:
And of course, the physical touchdown run by Daniel Jones in the second half:
Washington paid attention to Malik Nabers throughout the game. Safeties routinely rolled over the top of Nabers, and the two-high shell led to more rushing attempts for the Giants. Plays like this weren’t uncommon:
The two-high shell also forced another adjustment from the Giants in the second half. There were several deep crossing routes from Theo Johnson and three specifically designed to slice through a middle-of-the-field open defense. One led to a 35-yard strike for a touchdown:
Defense
The Giants defense had zero sacks and just eight pressures in the game. It was a season-low-pressure total against Jayden Daniels and the Commanders’ offense. Washington frequently chipped Brian Burns and Azeez Ojulari; there was focus on both edges from condensed formations all game.
According to NFL Next Gen, The Giants defense generated only five team pressures and zero sacks on 25 dropbacks (20.0% pressure rate), despite blitzing on 60.0% of dropbacks, the unit’s highest blitz rate in a game this season. Azeez Ojulari, who finished with two pressures, was the only Giants defender with multiple pressures.
It was a quiet statistical game from Dexter Lawrence, but he was still a massive issue for the interior offensive line of Washington:
Another reason for the lack of statistical success when pass-rushing was the rigidity with which the Giants had to rush. Every pass rush against Jayden Daniels has to follow strict guidelines to contain and maintain a pass-rush path. Daniels ran through the Giants in Week 2, and Shane Bowen ensured that would not happen in Week 9.
The run defense of the Giants was solid. They surrendered 149 yards on the ground but just 3.9-yards per carry. Kliff Kingsbury did a fantastic job designing a multifaceted approach to running the football. They used DART, CRUNCH, and plenty of variations of zone/read that eliminated the back side pursuit defender. Bowen’s defense puts a lot on the linebackers, especially against an offense that moves pre-snap as much as Washington; still, Bobby Okereke did well, all things considered:
Cor’Dale Flott was more active in run support as well. He had four tackles and two STOPs. Here is one of them:
Overall, the defense played poorly in Week 9. There were several blown coverages, and Nubin had a bad game. Daniels did not recognize at least two, maybe three, blown coverages that could have resulted in points.
This was a one-possession loss, but Washington knelt at the 1-yard line to end the game, and Daniels did not see multiple possible wide-open touchdowns due to blown coverages. A loss is a loss, but the Giants need to figure out how to play complementary football, lest Brian Daboll may lose the locker room as losses mount.
