Giants' missed opportunities add up to eighth loss in a row
Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart is tackled by the Washington Commanders at MetLife stadium on Sunday. Credit: Ed Murray
The bye week couldn’t prevent the Giants from returning to their losing ways. It only paused what has been inevitable for more than two months.
The Giants’ 29-21 loss to the Commanders on Sunday at MetLife Stadium featured wasted opportunities and a fourth-quarter rally that fell short despite two turnovers forced by the defense. Not even rookie Abdul Carter’s best game could save the Giants (2-12) from an eighth straight loss.
Instead, the Commanders (4-10) snapped their own losing streak at eight games, led by backup quarterback Marcus Mariota. The Giants could only feel numb after inheriting the NFL’s longest active losing streak. They share it with the Raiders, whom they will face in Week 17.
“Just another Sunday,” linebacker Brian Burns said.
“It’s frustrating,” tight end Daniel Bellinger said. “I think we’re all frustrated on every level, players, coaches . . . we just have to be better.”
The Giants are 5-26 since the start of the 2024 season and are tied with the Raiders and the Titans for the NFL’s worst record this season. Their last win came on Oct. 9 and they are two losses shy of tying the franchise record for most consecutive defeats, which was set last season.
Carter put the Giants in position to change things by forcing and recovering a fumble with 2:38 left. But on fourth down at the Commanders’ 38-yard line, Jaxson Dart’s pass for Wan’Dale Robinson fell incomplete.
It was the final missed chance in a game that had several.
Trailing 29-14, Dart led the Giants to first-and-goal from the 1, but when he ran on the next play for a 1-yard loss, officials sent him off to be evaluated for a possible concussion.
Dart (20-for-36 for 246 yards, two touchdowns and an interception) missed two plays. Devin Singletary lost three yards and Jameis Winston threw an incomplete pass. Dart returned on fourth down and threw incomplete.
“It’s definitely not the first time that I’ve been surprised that I had to come out, but I was definitely surprised,” said Dart, who’s been evaluated five times since the start of the preseason and missed Weeks 11 and 12 with a concussion. “Just didn’t feel like it was that big of a hit at all.”
Dart finished with nine carries for 63 yards, avoiding big hits and looking to slide more. His 29-yard scramble set up the Giants’ first touchdown, a 10-yard run by Tyrone Tracy Jr. that cut the Giants’ deficit to 13-7.
The Giants then had their first missed chance. The defense forced a three-and-out with 1:40 left in the second quarter, but the offense followed with a three-and-out and things got worse.
Cameron Johnston, filling in for the injured Jamie Gillan, kicked a low punt and Jaylin Lane returned it 63 yards for a touchdown that made it 19-7. Jake Moody missed the extra point.
On the Giants’ next drive, Dart was intercepted by Mike Sainristil on a pass intended for Jalin Hyatt. Sainristil took it back 55 yards and Moody’s 42-yard field goal as time expired gave the Commanders a 22-7 halftime lead.
The Giants never threatened until Dart connected with Robinson on a 16-yard touchdown pass on the team’s second-to-last drive, cutting the deficit to 29-21.
“I think we had some individual good performances, good drives, good plays here and there,” interim coach Mike Kafka said. “But versus that team, you gotta play for 60 minutes and you gotta execute at a high level for 60 minutes.”
Carter provided one of those performances. The rookie linebacker had three tackles for loss, including a sack, and two forced fumbles. It was a needed response after he was benched for the second time in the previous game.
Tracy had two touchdowns and 97 all-purpose yards, including 70 rushing. Theo Johnson had 72 yards on three catches. But very little else went right.
With the Giants trailing 22-14 in the third quarter, center John Michael Schmitz drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty that took the Giants from second-and-5 at the Commanders’ 20 to second-and-20 from the 35.
Darius Slayton then dropped a potential touchdown pass that sailed over his shoulder and into and out of his hands. On fourth down, Younghoe Koo’s 51-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide left and short, his second miss of the day.
Kafka said he was told that Schmitz head-butted a player. Schmitz said it happened as he was trying to break up a scrum involving Greg Van Roten.
“I have to be a little bit smarter when I am sticking up for my guys, but I’m not going to change the way I play, the intensity level,” Schmitz said.
On the Commanders’ next drive, Mariota threw a 51-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin on first-and-20 to help give Washington a 29-14 lead early in the fourth quarter. McLaurin was wide open downfield before shaking off a potential tackle by Paulson Adebo.
The defense responded next series, with Dane Belton forcing a fumble that Burns recovered. It led to Dart’s touchdown pass to Robinson, but the Giants couldn’t finish the comeback and fell to 3-23 in their last 26 games.
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
