Giants gashed on ground by Commanders, and there's little hope for improvement

New York Giants coach Brian Daboll was feeling good about an improved offensive performance after Sunday’s 21-18 loss to the Washington Commanders. The same certainly doesn’t apply to a defense that didn’t force a punt.

Here’s a final look at the dispiriting loss that dropped the Giants to 0-2:

Disappointing defense

Daboll was giddy about Shane Bowen’s run defense as the Titans’ defensive coordinator before offering him the same position in New York this offseason.

“Can you get our run defense to look like this, please?” Daboll said while showing stats to general manager Joe Schoen before hiring Bowen in a clip that aired on “Hard Knocks.”

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The Titans allowed the fewest rushing yards in the NFL during Bowen’s three seasons as DC. That success has not translated to the Giants.

The Giants were gashed on the ground for 215 yards on 35 carries by a one-dimensional Commanders offense on Sunday. Brian Robinson tallied a career-high 133 yards on 17 carries, running through the Giants’ soft run defense with ferocity. The Giants rank 28th in run defense through the first two weeks of the season.

“Usually, this happens for run defense, two things: tackling and then run fits,” Daboll said. “So those are two things we stress to them every week, but put an added emphasis on them this week.”

The run defense was only part of a second straight uninspiring performance from Bowen’s unit. Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels completed 23-of-29 passes for 226 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions.

Daniels completed his first 10 passes a week after Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold completed his first 12 passes in a 28-6 destruction of the Giants. Daniels rarely pushed down the field, but he was able to pick apart the cushions afforded by the Giants on quick passes.

When Daniels needed to make a throw downfield, he delivered a 34-yard strike to wide receiver Noah Brown running a deep in route against cornerback Cor’Dale Flott on the game-winning drive.

Daniels threw 12 of his 29 passes behind the line of scrimmage. Another seven passes traveled less than 10 yards. That short passing attack was effective due to some well-designed screens and shoddy tackling by the Giants.

Daniels also did damage with his legs, gaining 44 yards on 10 carries. He was particularly effective as a scrambler, gaining 33 yards on four scrambles. That included a 9-yard scramble on third-and-10 to set up a fourth-down conversion and a 14-yard scramble on third-and-13.

Daniels’ success scrambling was discouraging because the scouting report was that he would look to run, and the Giants often assigned Isaiah Simmons as a quarterback spy on third downs.

The Commanders scored on all seven of their full possessions, excluding a kneel down before halftime. They went 7-for-14 on third down and 1-for-1 on fourth down, which enabled them to hold a staggering 37:32-22:28 time of possession advantage.

It’s not surprising that there are growing pains as players adjust to Bowen’s system, which is far different from predecessor Wink Martindale. But it’s hard to see the run defense making dramatic strides based on the personnel in the middle of the defense.

Veteran run stoppers Leonard Williams and A’Shawn Robinson have been replaced by young Day 3 draft picks and undrafted rookie Elijah Chatman. Those young players don’t appear ready to fill the big shoes left by the departed veterans.

Strong suit

One strength of Bowen’s defense has traveled to New York. The Titans had the second-best red zone defense in the league during Bowen’s three seasons calling the shots.

The Giants were tied for the fifth-best red zone defense entering Monday night after keeping the Commanders out of the red zone on all six of their trips inside the 20-yard line on Sunday. The Vikings had gone 2-for-2 in the red zone in Week 1.

The Giants benefited from some unforced Washington errors in the red zone. Tight end Ben Sinnott committed a false start penalty on fourth-and-1 from the Giants’ 4-yard line on Washington’s opening drive. Rather than going for it, the Commanders were forced to settle for a short field goal.

The Commanders also committed false start penalties on a second-and-goal from the 4-yard line in the third quarter and on a first-and-goal from the 6-yard line in the fourth quarter. Both penalties led to short field goals.

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True Dru

If there’s a positive to take from the defense, it was the play of rookie cornerback Dru Phillips. The third-round pick had a limited role in the opener due to an Achilles injury he suffered in training camp, but he still delivered four tackles, a tackle for a loss and a forced fumble in 16 snaps.

Phillips was unleashed on Sunday, playing 66 of 72 snaps as the slot corner. He registered 12 tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack. Phillips plays the run aggressively, exploding to the line of scrimmage to meet ball carriers. He knocked Daniels out of the game for one play with a big hit to the ribs on a scramble in the second quarter.

Phillips left briefly to get evaluated for a concussion after a collision with running back Austin Ekeler in the fourth quarter. But Phillips said he actually got kneed in his leg, and he returned on the next series.

Phillips was called a for a questionable holding penalty that negated a third-and-5 sack by Brian Burns on a fourth-quarter Washington drive that ended with a tying field goal. Commanders tight end Zach Ertz ran into Phillips off the line, but the corner was flagged for going to the ground with Ertz.

“That was bulls—,” Phillips said. “You set a pick play, I’m falling, and he’s running through me, and they said I pulled him down to the ground with me. But if you get someone through your chest, I didn’t take him with me. It’s just one of those things. It could have gone either way. The ref went the other way with it. It’s frustrating.”

In your face

The beef between Giants cornerback Deonte Banks and Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin continues to escalate. The bad blood boiled over when Banks mocked McLaurin’s lack of production in an Instagram video after the Giants’ 31-19 win in Week 11 last season.

Banks traveled with McLaurin on Sunday, holding the Commanders’ top receiver to 22 yards on six catches. Banks let McLaurin know — loudly — about every incompletion or short completion. They were even jawing at each other on their way to line up before plays.

“It’s a little division game,” Banks said. “Just competing.”

Banks hasn’t been nearly as chatty against opposing receivers, but the Giants will need the 2023 first-round pick to play with that same edge against the gauntlet of elite wideouts they’ll face over the next five weeks.

Crossing pattern

The Giants have found something with rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers on crossing routes. Nabers had a 28-yard gain after getting wide-open on a crossing route on a third-and-12 on the Giants’ opening drive. He added a 25-yard gain on third-and-9 on a crosser on the Giants’ final drive. His 4-yard touchdown also came on a pass over the middle.

The crossing routes accentuate Nabers’ dynamic ability with the ball in his hands, as he picks up yards rapidly after making catches in the open field.

Nabers also created his own YAC, twice catching short passes and spinning away from defenders to gain 34 yards on the Giants’ touchdown drive before halftime. It was puzzling that the Commanders kept giving Nabers one-on-one matchups to exploit, but future opponents don’t figure to repeat that strategy.

Quarterback Daniel Jones’ faith in Nabers is obviously high. Not only did Nabers rack up 18 targets — the rest of the team had nine — but Jones went to the rookie in high-leverage spots. Jones and Nabers hooked up for four yards on a fourth-and-3 curl in the fourth quarter. Jones targeted Nabers later in the drive on third-and-2 and the Giants got a first down due to a pass interference penalty.

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The Giants haven’t had a receiver a quarterback could rely on in those situations since Odell Beckham Jr. And it’s hard to avoid flashbacks to the other first-round pick out of LSU who shredded defenses for the Giants from 2014-18 while watching Nabers blaze around the field.

The one area that was lacking was a deep connection. Jones took four deep shots to Nabers, but they failed to connect on any. Despite that, Nabers leads the NFL with five catches of 20-plus yards due to his explosiveness after the catch.

Bounce-back game

Jones looked like a functional quarterback on Sunday. That was major progress after looking like a jittery mess in Week 1.

Jones completed 16-of-28 passes for 178 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. The Commanders only pressured Jones nine times, and he showed much better composure when under duress. Jones climbed the pocket well to find Nabers on the crucial drop on fourth down late in the game.

Jones had a 58.6 passer rating when pressured and a 113.8 passer rating on 21 dropbacks when he wasn’t pressured. This applies to all quarterbacks, but Jones is significantly better when the heat isn’t on.

“He went where he was supposed to go with the football,” Daboll said. “He saw the field well. Threw it to the guy he was supposed to throw it to.”

An efficient performance against a poor defense should be kept in perspective. But it was important for Jones to steady the ship after his Week 1 showing was so disturbing that there were calls for a quarterback change.

Jones at least quieted that chatter for a week, but he faces a much tougher test against a stifling Browns defense on Sunday.

Fumblitis

Running back Devin Singletary was on his way to a breakout performance in his second game with the Giants. But a fumble on the opening possession of the second half was a stain on his 16-carry, 95-yard, one-touchdown showing.

A 15-yard run ended when the ball was punched out of Singletary’s arm by Commanders cornerback Benjamin St-Juste and recovered by safety Jeremy Chinn. Singletary has 15 fumbles since entering the NFL in 2019, which is the fourth-most among running backs during that span.

Singletary benefited from excellent run-blocking opening wide holes, but the back made the most of his opportunities with shifty cuts. With Singletary running so well, rookie Tyrone Tracy was limited to one carry for two yards, while Eric Gray didn’t play an offensive snap.

Silver lining

There were some obvious ways not having a kicker impacted Sunday’s game, such as Daboll going for two after the Giants’ final two touchdowns and bypassing a 40-yard go-ahead field goal in the final minutes.

But knowing that field goals weren’t an option likely had a positive impact in some respects, as it allowed Jones to operate with the knowledge that he had four chances to get a first down. The Giants went for it on fourth-and-3 from the Washington 31-yard line with 14:27 left in the fourth quarter. Jones converted to Nabers, and the Giants eventually finished the drive with a touchdown to take an 18-15 lead. Daboll likely would have opted for a 49-yard field goal to tie the score in that situation if Gano was healthy.

Daboll said Gano’s hamstring injury will sideline him for “a few weeks.” The Giants have undrafted rookie Jude McAtamney on the practice squad, but they hosted four veteran kickers for a workout on Friday. Presumably, the Giants will sign one of those kickers and then place Gano on IR this week.

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Long odds

The Giants have dropped to 0-2 for the ninth time in the past 12 seasons. It’s the first time a Daboll team has started 0-2, and he’ll be trying to overcome some daunting odds to get to the playoffs. Of the 41 teams that have started 0-2 in the previous five seasons, only two made the playoffs.

(Photo: Peter Casey / Imagn Images)



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