Copr. northjersey.com 2025
The New York Giants were soundly defeated by the Washington Commanders on Sunday by a score of 21-6. The Giants have averaged a horrific four points per game over their last three season opening games as their revamped offense looked painfully similar to what we saw most of last season. Quarterback Russell Wilson looked uncomfortable throughout the contest; going 17/37 for 168 yards and a 25.6 QBR.
It would be unfair to put the blame entirely on Wilson however, as the Giant’s offensive line failed their signal caller in spectacular fashion in the absence of left tackle Andrew Thomas, whom the Giants desperately need back on the field. Wilson wasn’t allowed the luxury of going through his progressions yesterday as he was pressured 19 times, hit on six occasions, and sacked twice.
Copr. AZCentral 2025
The New York rushing attack never got going either, as Wilson ironically led the team with 44 rushing yards on 8 attempts. The three running backs only accrued 30 total yards in an awful performance, with Tyrone Tracy only adding 24 yards on 10 attempts while rookie Cam Skattebo had -3 yards on the day despite using his head as a bettering ram on multiple occasions; so at least he tried.
The offensive line is widely considered the main catalyst for the loss, as was the inefficient play of the g-men’s lauded new defensive line, in which third overall draft pick Abdul Carter only participated in 38 of 70 of the Giants’ defensive snaps. Dexter Lawrence also only appeared in 73 percent of snaps. Reasons for this vary from Carter still recovering from a shoulder injury from his days at Penn State, as well as Lawrence still recovering from last season’s elbow injury as well as playing with his mind off of football, as he’s expecting the birth of his first child. While Brian Burns played well, garnering two sacks, it wasn’t enough to carry the load for big blue.
Copr. Peter Casey-Imagn Images 2025
Regardless, the lack of effort on defense falls entirely on the feet of defensive coordinator Shane Bowen, who’s failed to address the Giants’ atrocious run defense from last season, allowing an unacceptable 220 rushing yards to Washington yesterday. The pass defense showed promise at times, but Washington would’ve racked up two extra scores on the board if not for a dropped first down catch by Commanders tight end Zach Ertz on the first drive of the game and an overthrown deep pass to Terry Mclaurin by Jayden Daniels early in the second quarter.
The General Consensus
Copr. Newsday 2025
We hate to say it, but there’s a lot to be concerned about after just one game. The Giants continue to be plagued by bottom five-level offensive line play and mediocre to poor defense despite boasting some massive names on that side of the ball. New York showed some hope early on during a long drive to end the first quarter which went into the second, but a baffling failure to score a touchdown on the Washington goal line despite seven plays being run kept the momentum in Washington’s favor for good. The defense played worse than you think despite only allowing 21 points, especially considering the aforementioned missed opportunities by Washington and the 432 offensive yards that the Giants surrendered. The g-men need to wipe the slate clean as they head for Dallas in what now looks like a must-win game on the road against the Cowboys as a brutal schedule awaits them from week three onward.
-Jack Barber
Works Cited
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