Giants try to manage pressure of must-win game in December

It’s not how the Giants wanted to go into this. They no doubt would have preferred not to enter their biggest game of the year after suffering their most lopsided loss of the season. Never mind the fact that they haven’t won a game in a month, that they’ll be playing on the road and that they’re 0-3-1 against divisional rivals.

But despite the injuries, the breakdowns and the disappointments, this Sunday still represents something of a coup for a team that entered the season with few outside expectations: Brian Daboll’s crew will get to experience the privilege of pressure and their first meaningful late-December game in far too long.

This rematch against the Commanders is a playoff game before the playoffs, Dexter Lawrence said. But that doesn’t mean they can allow it to overwhelm them.

“Don’t get too hyped, don’t get too overly emotional about it,” said Lawrence, one of the few bright spots in the Giants’ 48-22 drubbing by the Eagles on Sunday. “Thinking it’s going to kill you. That you have to be perfect.

“You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to play with better technique. You’re going to lose some reps, they’re going to win some reps, but it’s all about not letting that linger and just keep playing.

“That’s what I mean by too much pressure. Obviously, you’re going to feel a little pressure here and there, it’s just about playing the game, but don’t let it linger. Just keep moving forward and keep playing.”

And that’s mostly because certain levels of pressure already are built into the proceedings. It’s a Sunday night game, so the entire football world will be watching. At 7-5-1, the Giants are barely holding on to their wild-card hopes. A loss to the Commanders (7-5-1) would be devastating, especially with the Eagles waiting for them in Week 18.

And then there’s the fact that their tie game against the Commanders on Dec. 4 was winnable and that some of Daboll’s more conservative choices in that game were criticized.

They’re banged up and waiting on pivotal pieces to get better, with no guarantee that someone like Leonard Williams or Xavier McKinney will be able to suit up. Saquon Barkley, who played despite a neck and shoulder injury Sunday, was limited to 20 snaps. The Commanders, meanwhile, are coming off a bye.

“Sometimes I feel like you can get so caught up in the moment and just trying to prepare and prepare and be the best player you can,” Andrew Thomas said. “Not experiencing something like this for the first two years of my career and having an opportunity, I’m definitely grateful and looking forward to it. But at the same time, I’m focused and I’m motivated [to do] everything I can to help the team win.”

There’s a lot of Daboll’s philosophy in that. With a team as young as this one, his primary focus has been on process — consistency, repetition, inward focus. He’s clearly relying on his captains to set that tone in the locker room.

Sunday feels like the biggest game of the year “because it’s the next game,” said Lawrence, who, along with Thomas, is one of 10 captains. “That’s honestly how I take every game. I don’t try to apply a lot of pressure to anybody. It’s about doing what you do in other weeks just a little bit more. Knowing that this is a playoff-potential game. Just feeling that, taking it and understanding what you have to do to play better.”

That means keeping up their energy, Thomas said, and getting consumed by the moment. Do the things that got you to this point, but do them better.

“We know what’s on the line,” Thomas said. “You already know the mentality that comes with that. Washington is a great team. Our division is great this year. We know what this game means, and we’re doing our best to prepare for that.”

By Laura Albanese

laura.albanese@newsday.com@AlbaneseLaura

Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.