Big Blue Breakdown: Giants Fall to Commanders Once Again

The New York Giants crumbled once again and this week it was to the Washington Commanders. The Giants did not achieve a great record despite how good their stats looked before the game. They played well, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Commanders. It seems they were met with many boos from New York fans before the first half was over, as the Giants showed up to play a little too late. Here are the top three takeaways from this Week Nine home game in the Meadowlands.

1. The Giants Need to Bench Daniel Jones 

There are no questions that need to be addressed at this point. Daniel Jones played well in this game but not good enough. He may have played one of his final games in the coming weeks. In this game, he finally scored his first touchdown at home since the 2022 season. This is not a good look for the Giants at all. It’s been two years since the Giants have been able to make this happen. By the end of the first quarter, Jones was four of six passing with a touchdown and zero yards. He’s the first quarterback since the early 2000s to do this. 

However, in this game, Jones did put up a fight. He became a threat to the Commanders' defensive line. He ran several times throughout this game and gained 54 yards, the second most he’s had during a game all season. On the other hand, Jones was plagued by a formidable Commanders pass-rush attack. He needs to step up a little bit more and be a part of the play. This did not go as planned and completely backfired on the Giants. 

2. The Defense Made Big Mistakes 

The Giants decided to pick the wrong time to also try something new. They put in four different tackles to try, none of whom included Dexter Lawrence, but this completely backfired. Each time the Giants attempted to make a stop, they failed, and the Commanders marched right over them, taking the ball down the field. The timing was unfortunate for the Giants, and they need to spend time this week reworking their defensive line. Hopefully, in their upcoming game against the Panthers in London, they will perform better defensively.

3. The Giants Need to Show Up Sooner Rather Than Later

It wasn’t a disastrous game; it was an average Giants performance. The Giants struggled throughout, trailing 21-7 by the end of the first half. Despite their efforts, they couldn’t put anything on the scoreboard. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that the Giants started to pull themselves together and actually play. They managed to bring the score up to 22 before the end but still lost 27-22. If the Giants had played in the first half like they did in the final quarter, they might have won the game.