Giants defense uncharacteristically folds when needed most

These are words you probably didn’t expect to hear coming out of the latest Giants loss at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. 

“The offense played well enough for us to win. They gave us a chance to win and we didn’t take advantage of it. The defense just got beat up today.” 

The author of those spot-on, honest words was Dexter Lawrence, the Giants defensive tackle, captain and best player, after the Giants lost 27-22 to the Commanders to fall to 2-7. 

You want to beat up on Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, the fans’ favorite piñata, for this loss? 

Have at it. 

You want to point to the fact that Jones somehow had zero yards passing in the first half despite completing four passes, including one for a touchdown? 

Be my guest. 

You want to point to the Giants’ inexplicable and unfathomable offensive ineptitude in their own stadium this season, entering Sunday having produced exactly one offensive touchdown at MetLife in four games there — and 31 total points? 

Go ahead, but those anemic numbers were irrelevant to Sunday’s result, a fourth consecutive loss for the Giants overall and their fifth loss in five 2024 home games. 

The Giants defense lost this game. 

Washington (now 7-2) punted just twice in the game, which ended with Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels kneeling three consecutive times once they got to the Giants 1-yard line with 1:37 remaining in the game and the Giants out of timeouts. 

So, those 27 Washington points could easily have been 34 or 30 had it not been for the compassion of Commanders head coach Dan Quinn to call off his dogs at the end. 

Every time the Giants offense gave the team some life, their defense would quickly yield soul-crushing plays and suck the life out of the team and the stadium. 

“[We] gave up some big plays there, right before the two-minute [warning] at the end of the half,” Giants head coach Brian Daboll said. “Those are game-changing plays that we need to make.” 

The end of the first half is where this mess really started. 

The Giants, trailing 14-7, allowed Daniels to complete a 31-yard pass to receiver Noah Brown, whom neither Giants corner Nick McCloud nor safety Jason Pinnock were able to cover or get down before damage was done. 

First down Commanders on the Giants 44. 

“You can’t [give up] that many explosives,” Pinnock said. 

Moments later, on third-and-18 from the Giants 42, Daniels hit receiver Dyami Brown for 24 yards with nickel back Dru Phillips not within an area code of covering him. Brown got 20 extra yards from the point Phillips first tried to tackle him. 

It was the only catch Brown made all game. 

First down at the Giants 18 at the two-minute warning. 

And on the next play, Terry McLaurin beat Giants cornerback Deonte Banks for an 18-yard touchdown reception for a 21-7 lead with six seconds remaining in the half. 

In the second half, after the Giants cut the Washington lead to 24-16, their defense allowed the Commanders to march 63 yards on 11 plays to take a 27-16 lead with a field goal. The killer play on that series was a third-and-8 pass from Daniels to running back Austin Ekeler, who no one was covering, that went for 28 yards. Giants safety Tyler Nubin called himself out on that play, saying, “I’ve got to be able to do my job, get [Ekeler] down on the ground.” 

The final dagger on this day from the Giants defense came after they’d cut the Washington lead to 27-22 with 2:48 remaining. 

Second and nine from their own 31 and Daniels connected with receiver Olamide Zaccheaus on a 42-yard pass play with Nubin again the closest player to him (but not much closer than the fans in Section 118). That play, which moved the Commanders to the Giants 27, brought the game to the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter and sealed it. 

“We’ve got to be better,” Lawrence said. 

“It’s a team game and ultimately you want to play complementary football,” Giants linebacker and captain Bobby Okereke said. “Defensively, we didn’t do a great job holding up our end of the bargain for the offense. 

“The offense was working well. They were scoring touchdowns, they were sustaining long drives on the field. We just didn’t answer the bell from that aspect of getting off the field, giving them an opportunity to get a go-ahead score.” 

The Giants defense entered the game leading the NFL in sacks with 35 and failed to get Daniels to the ground once on Sunday. 

“We didn’t have any sacks [and] we didn’t have any turnovers,” Daboll said. “So, not good enough.” 

Nothing has been good enough for the Giants this season. 

Sunday at home was a sad symbol of that.