The Giants have never been 0-2 under coach Brian Daboll. They were 2-0 in 2022 and 1-1 in 2023 with a big upset win at Arizona. So this is the nadir of early-season woes for Daboll and the Giants. They didn't deserve to beat the Vikings in the season opener, and they didn't deserve to lose to the Commanders in Week 2. And yet here they are.
It's a strange development that the Giants just lost 21-18 to the Commanders at Northwest Stadium and there's been no talk of Daniel Jones playing badly. He had a game-winning performance that was good enough, if not spectacular. He was let down by a defense that allowed seven field goals in seven series and a kicking game that was absurdly taken out of the equation after Graham Gano went down with a hamstring injury on the opening kickoff.
There are no good losses, but there are some that are especially bad. This is one of those. Let's get started.
Let's get straight to the conclusion. Most teams can't function normally when it comes to attempting field goals or extra points if they lose their kicker on the first play. But most teams should be able to do better than how the Giants turned Gano's misfortune into a fiasco. Most punters in the league can't make long-range field goals well, but most of them should be able to do a reliable job on extra points and maybe even very short field goals. Punter Jamie Gillan made a whopping 40-yard field goal last season. Sure, he hooked his first and only extra-point attempt wide right and it looked bad, but that shouldn't have deterred Coach Daboll from asking him to make it again.
It was also all too easy to imagine. Gano came into the game with a groin issue, and a 37-year-old kicker in that condition seemed to need a backup plan. Activate Jude McAtamney from the practice squad or sign a veteran kicker for the game. At the very least, let the strong-legged Guillan take the kickoffs to ease Gano's groin pain. Daboll's ego seemed to get in the way a bit here, with the way he boldly decided the team had a higher success rate on a two-point conversion play than sending Guillan out for an extra-point attempt. Of course, teams can make these decisions look good by executing and completing the task, but the Giants missed both of their two-point conversion attempts.
— Fair is fair. The offensive line was the bright spot in this game. All five starters played all 56 snaps, and there is nothing to complain about from this group. When is the last time you can say that? The Giants rushed for 129 yards, a good average of 5.9 yards per attempt. The pocket was kept clean for Daniel Jones, who was sacked once. Of course, there was plenty of help from the tight ends in maximum protection and blocking. None of the five offensive linemen committed any penalties, which is not easy to accomplish on the road.
The main reason for the good but not great performance is that Jones was barely on the field, as the Giants defense couldn't keep Washington off the field. It's true that the Commanders don't have a particularly formidable forward group, and the edge rushers don't scare anyone. The key here is to get defensive tackles Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen out of position, and the Giants were able to do that most of the time. So Andrew Thomas, John Runyan Jr., John Michael Schmitz, Greg Van Roten and Jermaine El-Huemeneau are names that get mentioned here, and I bear them no grudge.
— Micah McFadden was right up there in his season debut, playing 57 of his 72 snaps on defense. The third-year inside linebacker was tied with rookie cornerback Dru Phillips for the most tackles on the team with 12, plus a sack and a quarterback hit. McFadden is an active player and clearly the perfect fit to start alongside Bobby Okereke.
— Here's the thing about Jalin Hyatt. For those who want the speedy second-year wide receiver on the field more than he has been in his first two games, the question is: Who do you want off the field? Malik Neighbors is a sure thing. Wan'Dale Robinson runs routes from the slot and Hyatt doesn't, so it's not an apples-to-apples comparison. It comes down to this: Is Hyatt a better option than Darius Slayton in the passing game? At this point, the coaching staff still says no.
Slayton spent most of last week in concussion protocol before being cleared to play and played 49 of 56 snaps on offense. He was targeted four times and had three receptions for 33 yards. He was handed two passes on failed two-point conversion attempts, one of which he caught on Jones' fastball. Hyatt has been more of a spot player for now. He played 12 snaps and was not targeted once. In the season-opening loss to the Vikings, Hyatt was used on 16 of 71 snaps and was targeted only once. Coach Daboll has not used many four-wide sets, which has prevented Hyatt from coming off the sidelines.
— Speaking of player selection, what about Daniel Bellinger? He's the forgotten man. The former starting tight end played just four snaps. He played 16 in the season opener. Rookie Theo Johnson replaced him in the lineup, and Chris Manhertz, a near-perfect blocker, has gotten more playing time than Bellinger. We knew going into the season that this was a wide receiver-centric passing attack, and the tight end was going to be a complementary piece.
It was unfortunate that Johnson was on the field 44 times against the Commanders and never got the ball thrown to him. He's a big guy and should be an attractive target in the red zone. It seemed like he barely had a chance to run. Neighbors is already a must-watch player, but the passing attack needs more versatility.
— Isaiah Simmons, who didn't play on defense in Week 2, was called upon to play 16 plays against the Commanders. It didn't work out. On one play in the first quarter, with the Commanders facing a 10-yard deficit on third down, rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels took off with his sights set on the first-down marker. He should have been stopped short, but Daniels cut inside and dove for Simmons, which was initially ruled a 10-yard gain but was later changed to a 9-yard gain after the Giants challenged the call. (Either way, running back Brian Robinson picked up 6 yards on fourth down for a first down.) Simmons, despite his athletic versatility, remains a middle-of-the-pack presence, and figuring out where to place him to reinforce his strengths and hide his weaknesses will likely be an ongoing process.
