Let’s look at five noteworthy plays, or sequences of plays, that made a difference in Sunday’s 29-21 loss by the New York Giants to the Washington Commanders. It was the eighth straight loss for the Giants, who are 2-12 and currently have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Play 1: BILL! Touchdown
Washington took a 10-point lead in the second quarter. With New York stalling on offense, and Younghoe Koo sending a field goal wide left, Washington stuck to the game plan and established the run.
The Giants defense provided little resistance, and it culminated early on this WIDE OPEN hole where the Commanders washed the Giants down the line of scrimmage and the linebacker overpursued.
Rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt (22), also known as ‘Bill’, slid through the Giants like a hot knife through butter. Shane Bowen or no Shane Bowen, this defense still struggles significantly to stop the run.
The RPO element of the play (Deebo Samuel) kept Dru Phillips (22) honest and Bobby Okereke (58) flowed outside with the mesh point. NO ONE was in the cut-back lane, and Abdul Carter (51) went outside of the tackle.
Play 2: This special teams unit…
In general, the Giants have been terrible all season. They’ve fired their head coach, defensive coordinator, assistant defensive line coach, and cannot get out of its own way. The special teams have been particularly bad, and it’s especially compounded by unreliable kickers (Younghoe Koo missed a 52-yard field goal on the opening drive and a 51-yard field goal in the second half).
Still, the punt coverage has been atrocious, and Jaylin Lane exploited that for a 63-yard touchdown with 1:05 left in the first half. There’s this reality, too:
For the New York Giants, the 2025 season has followed a familiar script — just like 2024 and 2023 — and it can’t end soon enough.
Play 3: Mike Sainristil interception
After surrendering the Lane punt return touchdown to fall behind 19–7, the Giants tried to spark something. Unfortunately, they’re the Giants; Jaxson Dart, who played poorly in the first half, threw an interception to a receiver who rarely finds the field, Jalin Hyatt. Sainristil was in position when Dart attempted the throw, which was an aggressive and reckless decision by the rookie quarterback. Sainristil returned the football 55 yards, which set up a Jake Moody 42-yard field goal.
Play(s) 4:Terry McLaurin breaks free
Dane Belton (24) overpursued against Terry McLaurin’s (17) outward leaning stem. This was two plays into a drive and the end result gave the Commanders a 29-14 lead. The Giants’ defense forced two fumbles in the fourth quarter, which allowed the Giants to make the end exciting and Jaxson Dart found Wan’Dale Robinson on this touchdown:
Washington’s offense imploded after the McLaurin touchdown. New York’s defense recorded two fumbles to give the Giants a chance to crawl back into the game. The Robinson touchdown above followed this Dane Belton strip sack:
Then Abdul Carter continued his elite performance – his best game as a professional – with this forced fumble that gave the Giants the unlikely opportunity to tie the game.
Carter was ruled down by contact, but the following events were hilarious, nonetheless.
Play 5: Abdul Carter’s breakout?
I’ll end it on a positive note; after a lot of noise over the last few weeks, Abdul Carter had an elite performance and kept the Giants alive in the game:
The Bye week treated Carter well. Let’s hope this trend continues. Who would have thought Internet trolling would help motivate?
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