The Giants found a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. If last week’s loss was bad, tonight was just cruel.
Dropped passes, suspect defense, and penalties took away from an eye-opening performance from Daniel Jones.
Ultimately, the G-Men dropped to 0-2 with a 30-29 loss to the Washington Football Team.
Dustin Hopkins made a 43-yard field goal for Washington on an untimed down — after a penalty negated his miss seconds earlier. Hopkins missed his first attempt to win the game, but Dexter Lawrence was flagged for being offside. Hopkins capitalized on the second chance and sealed the win for his team.
Here are my takeaways from the game:
Daniel Jones came to play
It was Danny Dimes out there tonight. Jones took us down memory lane with a performance reminiscent of his rookie season. He finished with 249 yards passing, 95 yards rushing, and two touchdowns. And — wait for it — no fumbles, no turnovers. Jones was decisive with his throws, specifically in the second half where he repeatedly attacked Washington’s soft coverage in the middle of the field. His scrambling ability offset Washington’s dangerous front seven. Jones has been heavily criticized for his inconsistencies, but on this night, he looked every bit the quarterback the Giants are hoping they have.
Jason Garrett called his best game so far as Giants offensive coordinator
It wasn’t all perfect, but Garrett delivered on an aggressive game plan which should’ve been enough to get the Giants a win. From their opening drive, the plan was clear that Garrett wanted his offense to play with tempo. It allowed Jones to get into an early groove with the passing game and, for at least the first quarter, negated Washington’s pass rush. In the second half, Garrett dialed up the deep pass for Jones to throw — repeatedly. It was a pleasant change of approach from what’s been a conservative offense. Now, will we see more of it?
Graham Gano — Money
I may start calling Gano the Money Man. Because he’s been that clutch in the kicking game for Big Blue. He made all five of his field goal attempts tonight and both attempts on extra points.
An invisible pass rush for the Giants — again
It was non-existent tonight, and for the second week in a row there’s concerns with the defense. Where was Leonard Williams? Washington’s quarterback Taylor Heinicke picked apart the defense and that can be attributed to having a clean pocket for most of the night. Washington wide receiver Terry McLaurin ran circles around the Giants all night, he finished with 11 catches for 107 yards and a touchdown. There needs to be more pressure put on the quarterbacks or the secondary will continue to get exposed.
Missed opportunities and too many penalties
The Giants committed 11 penalties totaling 81 yards. The biggest of all, obviously, was the offsides call on Lawrence. There were a handful of false start penalties by the offensive line. And we can’t leave out the holding call on C.J. Board which nullified a 58-yard run by Jones for a touchdown. The hold was questionable, however, it took six points off the board and the Giants ultimately settled for three points. A late fourth quarter drop by Darius Slayton cost the Giants six more points. When the Giants go back to look at film from this game, it won’t be a pleasant experience.
Saquon Barkley doesn’t look ready — yet
Barkley ran for 57 yards on 13 carries. But 41 of those yards came on one carry. Barkley is returning from a major knee injury, patience with him returning to form is a must for the Giants. It doesn’t appear yet he’s running with the same explosion he had before tearing his ACL last year. However, I also won’t pretend I know what he’s feeling or thinking after a grueling rehab. My gut tells me he’s closer than most think to returning to the superstar talent we know.
The O-Line wasn’t great for the Giants, but the unit held it’s own
On a night where Nick Gates left early with a lower leg fracture, the offensive line overcame a rough first half. The run blocking still needs work, but the pass protection came through after halftime. We saw what damage Jones can do with a clean pocket to throw from. Still, with Shane Lemieux and Gates sidelined, it’s an uphill battle for the O-Line.
