Landover, MD – That’s not a blow to the head.
The Giants somehow found a way to lose a game they didn’t lose any business, mainly because they didn’t have a kicker and the Generals did.
In what should go down as a low moment for a franchise that has enjoyed a whole bunch lately, the Giants walked off the field at Northwest Stadium on Sunday at the end of a ridiculous and embarrassing 21-18 loss. . They were accomplished when Austin Seibert, who signed this week, hit his seventh field goal of the day, 38 yards out at the buzzer.
The Giants didn’t give up a touchdown to rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, but they couldn’t get the Giants off the field all day. The Giants were denied a field goal because they lost kicker Graham Cano to a hamstring injury on the opening kickoff. Cano entered the game with a groin injury, but the Giants did not elevate Jude McAdamney from the practice squad.
That decision was costly. The Giants gave up five points (two failed conversions, one missed extra point) because they didn’t have a backup kicker capable of actually kicking.
The Generals had seven actual possessions in the game and came away with seven field goals. They didn’t sting even once.
The Giants were driving for a potential game-winning touchdown on fourth down when Daniel Jones escaped the pocket and fired a perfect pass to the right sideline. Rookie Malik Nabbers kept his feet inbounds. It was Napers’ 18th goal of the game and he hit the floor in disgust.
Napers finished with 10 catches for 127 yards and his first NFL touchdown. Daniel Jones was 16 for 28 for 178 yards and two touchdowns. The Giants allowed 215 rushing yards.
The Giants took an 18-15 lead with 11:32 remaining on Jones’ second touchdown pass, when he hit Van’Dale Robinson for a 7-yard strike, and Robinson got a beat on rookie cornerback Mike Sainrist. With kicker Graham Cano unavailable due to a hamstring injury in the opening game, coach Brian Daboll clearly didn’t realize punter Jamie Gillan’s attempt at the extra point. Gillan missed one in the first quarter. Jones’ two-point conversion pass bounced off the hands of Darius Slayton.
The Generals then did all the play they did – drive the ball for a field goal. They committed their fourth and fifth false start penalties in the red zone and Seibert’s sixth field goal made it 18-18.
Leading 12-9, the Giants got the kickoff to start the second half and were on the move, but were stopped when Devin Singletary’s 15-yard run knocked the ball out of Benjamin St-Justin’s grasp. Clelin Ferrell recovered a fumble at the Commanders 35-yard line. In a close game, these types of turnovers can be dangerous. Of course, there was no stopping a nine-play drive that ended with Seibert’s fourth field goal to pull the Commanders even at 12.
Jones mishandled three passes for a three-and-out. The run defense, shaky all day, was uncomfortable when Brian Robinson lined up on third-and-1, but Cordale Flott failed to fold at the end and Robinson burst free for 40 yards. With first-and-goal at the 8-yard line, the Giants’ defense held firm in the red zone again and Seibert’s fifth field goal late in the third quarter put the Chiefs up 15-12.
The Giants were a step slower. They gave up a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown on the first play, but luckily a holding penalty canceled the game. Then, the Giants couldn’t get off the field as the Commanders used 16 plays to get down to the Giants’ 1-yard line, punting the ball with 9:36 left. A holding penalty on third down by safety Jason Pinnock kept the possession alive. A false start down the right end at the 1-yard line forced Ben Sinnott to settle for a field goal for a 3-0 lead.
There was an immediate response from the giants. Jones called his number twice on option keepers to gain six yards. Nabbers capped the big strike on third-and-12 with a 28-yard catch and run. At the end of the gain, Nabbers was tied by a blind-side hit by linebacker Frankie Luu. As Luv’s helmet made contact with Napers’ helmet, an NFL spotter in the booth stepped onto the field to examine Napers for a concussion.
Singletary lost cornerback Michael Davis with a cut to complete a 7-yard scoring run, giving the Giants their first touchdown on an opening drive in 27 games. Yes, 27 games.
A persistent problem for the Giants in the first half was their inability to get off the field on defense. Commanders had punts of 16, 10 and 14 yards. They sacked Daniels four times in the first half and kept Washington out of the end zone late in the second quarter when Brian Burns and Dexter Lawrence combined to stop Austin Egeler at the Giants’ 8-yard line for no gain.
With the Giants on their 31-yard line with 1:45 left before halftime, it was Nabbers’ show. Jones hit Knobbers for 13 yards and then 21 when Knobbers made a spin-move to lose Davis. On third down with eight seconds left, Jones found a wide-open Nabbers for his first touchdown reception as a freshman. He responded with some sort of celebratory dance that might need some work.
Unwilling to attempt the extra point with their punter, the Giants went for a two-point conversion but Jones was forced out of the pocket and his pass was picked off in the end zone.
