Giants' missed opportunities add up to 8th 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 help the Giants from returning to their losing ways. It only paused what’s been inevitable now for over two months.
The Giants’ latest defeat, a 29-21 loss to the Commanders on Sunday, featured wasted opportunities and a fourth-quarter rally falling short despite the defense forcing two turnovers. 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 an eight-game skid and left MetLife Stadium with a win behind backup quarterback Marcus Mariota. The Giants could only feel numb after inheriting the NFL’s longest active losing streak and sharing it with the Raiders, whom they face in Week 17.
“Just another Sunday,” linebacker Brian Burns said.
“It’s frustrating,” echoed tight end Daniel Bellinger. “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 of tying the franchise record set last season for most consecutive defeats.
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 concussion.
Dart, who was 20-for-36 for 246 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, missed two plays and Jameis Winston entered only for the Giants to be stopped on a three-yard loss by Devin Singletary and a Winston incompletion. Dart returned on fourth down but his pass was 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 of all.”
Dart finished with nine carries for 63 yards while 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 helped 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. The offense, however, 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 took it back 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 lead at halftime.
The Giants never threatened until Dart connected with Robinson on a 16-yard touchdown pass late on the team’s second-to-last drive that helped cut it 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 was 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 Giants’ last game.
Tracy had two touchdowns and 97 all-purpose yards, 70 rushing. Theo Johnson had 72 yards on three catches. But very little went right besides that.
Trailing 22-14 in the third quarter, center John Michael Schmitz drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty in the third quarter that took the Giants from second-and-5 at the Commanders’ 20 to second-and-20 from the 35-yard line.
Darius Slayton then dropped a potential touchdown pass that sailed over his shoulder and into 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 Schmitz head-butted a player. Schmitz said it happened as he was was trying to break up a scrum involving fellow lineman 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 TD 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 as they fell to 3-23 over 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.
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