New month, same sad results for the Giants.
Sometimes the losses all look and feel the same. Sometimes they come about in different ways. Sunday’s latest loss was a flip of the script in that the Giants actually scored three touchdowns at MetLife Stadium — after managing only one total touchdown in their previous four home games. It wasn’t exactly points aplenty, but coming up with 22 of them could have been enough to attain a badly needed victory. But the defense came up small in almost every key moment, and those failings were the main reason the Giants went down 27-22 to the Commanders to inflate the losing streak to four games.
Here is a closer look at some of the issues coming out of the game that continue to hold the Giants back as they dropped to 2-7 in this dreary season:
— The weekly Blame Game is growing as stale as a week-old bagel. Yes, we know by now a team needs a high-quality quarterback to accomplish anything of significance, and this is why the Giants assuredly will move on from Daniel Jones after this season. And, if the losing carries over to the next game, against the Panthers in Munich, Germany, there could be a change during the bye week to Drew Lock, just for the sake of trying something different and also because of Jones’ injury guarantee of $23 million — including $12 million if he gets hurt and cannot pass a physical exam by March 16, 2025. This is not something Giants ownership wants to deal with, but it might have to happen.
Let us move Jones to the side, as he is not part of the long-term solution for a franchise that in many ways looks no closer to contending now than it did when general manager Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll arrived in 2022. There are pieces to work with, but that does not qualify as this being a roster on the rise. What we saw in the latest loss was an offense with one player (Malik Nabers) that puts fear into opponents and a defense that needs help in the interior up front and certainly on the back end, where more talent at cornerback and safety is required. There is nothing the Giants do well on a consistent basis offensively. The one area to highlight on defense — an NFL-leading 35 sacks heading into Week 9 — is not sustainable. The Commanders dealt with Dexter Lawrence and Brian Burns with chip blocks on virtually every pass-rush opportunity, mitigating the pressure and still managing to exploit weaknesses in the secondary without the full complement of pass-catching options.
There is blame to be assigned almost everywhere. That Evan Neal got on the field for one snap — he reported in as a tackle eligible on the 2-yard touchdown pass from Jones to Chris Manhertz — is further indictment of how bad of a miss Neal was by this regime as the No. 7 overall pick in 2022. That receiver Jalin Hyatt (four snaps) and tight end Daniel Bellinger (14 snaps), a former 3rd-round pick and a former 4th-round pick, respectively, barely got on the field is, to a lesser extent, also a bad look for the scouting and development process. And that cornerback Deonte Banks, the 2023 first-round pick, was out there for all 62 snaps on defense and allowed two touchdown receptions to Terry McLaurin is more troubling data on a 23-year-old who was benched last week because of lackadaisical play.
The quarterback is the convenient excuse for all this losing, but Jones was not the reason the Giants lost this time around. Finding the right guy to man that position is the next great challenge for this regime but certainly far from the only improvement this group needs to make.
— Remember back to 2020 when Joe Judge was a rookie head coach and he needed a strong second half to finish 6-10? That team went 3-0 at home against the Eagles, Cowboys and Washington, which looked to be a nice foundation to set for a first-year head coach, as winning home games in the division is always a solid starting point for a program. Look at what is going on nowadays. The Giants went 0-3 in the NFC East this season at MetLife Stadium, a distressing turn of events that makes it difficult to see signs of progress.
— Can this team develop legitimate cornerbacks? Banks is having an extremely disappointing second season. Cor’Dale Flott’s most memorable contribution against the Commanders was a pass interference penalty that essentially handed Washington a touchdown. Tre Hawkins does not play much at all. Rookie Dru Phillips was impressive earlier in the season but has slumped a bit as of late. Nick McCloud does not appear to be improving much.
— It was as if the Giants were trying to navigate their offense in the first half without a passing game. Jones attempted only six passes, completing four of them for zero net passing yards (he did complete a touchdown pass to Manhertz). Jones, according to NFL Research, became the first quarterback since 1991 to have zero or fewer passing yards and one or more touchdowns (with at least five attempts) in a half.
— The results are not there for Jones and the stats are often bland — although his passer rating of 119.7 was by far his highest of the season — but some credit should be given for Jones’ physical stamina. He has not missed a thing coming off ACL reconstructive surgery and does not show any hesitancy running with the ball and taking hits. Jones post-surgery has often not looked as fast when he takes off, but he did get moving on a season-high 24-yard run in the first quarter.
“I thought Jones circled us on a couple of runs that were some big ones and I’ve seen that movie before where he can use his legs and get outside, and he certainly did,’’ Commanders coach Dan Quinn said. “Sometimes you see that on a pass where he’s got enough speed to lose ground to get outside of the circle. Him getting outside was a big part of the explosive plays in that first half.’’
— There was no reason to take a look at the Giants this week and make sure you activated their tight ends for your fantasy football squad. In the first eight games, that position group did not have a single touchdown reception. And then, an outburst. Manhertz did not have a catch this season before hauling in a 2-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. Rookie Theo Johnson broke free up the middle of the field for a 35-yard scoring reception, the first of his career. This was the first Giants game with two touchdown catches for tight ends in almost exactly three years. Evan Engram and Kyle Rudolph both had touchdown receptions in Kansas City on Nov. 1, 2021.
— Did Azeez Ojulari play his last game for the Giants? The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday at 4 p.m. and jettisoning players is always a consideration for non-contending teams. Ojulari has six sacks in eight games, with five sacks in four starts subbing for injured Kayvon Thibodeaux. With Brian Burns and Thibodeaux the starting edge defenders, there is no starting spot for Ojulari moving forward, even though he is only 26 years old and, when healthy, a legitimate pass rusher. He is in the final year of his contract.
“I haven’t been told anything, so I’m just one day at a time,’’ Ojulari said after the game. “I gotta come in [Monday], check film out and see what was going on. Right now, I’m getting ready for next week, getting ready for Germany.’’
Asked if his heart remains with the Giants, he said “Yeah, for sure, this is where I got drafted, I’m blessed to be here, blessed for the opportunity.’’
Ojulari said it is “a different place to be’’ hearing his name in trade speculation. Soon enough, he will see if there is anything to the speculation.
— The receptions are there but the big-play production is not. Nabers is increasingly expressing frustration with all the losing and the dearth of impact plays. He had a game-high nine catches but for only 59 yards. There does not seem to be much doubt that Nabers can get down the field but the ability to connect with Jones on deep passes remains elusive. Nabers averaging 6.6 yards per catch in this game is an indication that the Jones passing attack struggles to push the ball forward for explosive plays.
