The Giants erased a 10-point first quarter deficit but couldn't do enough to secure a win, tying the Washington Commanders 20-20 on Sunday afternoon.
Here are some key takeaways...
-The Giants offense got off to a poor start, with Daniel Jones fumbling on the third play from scrimmage. Jones has had fumbling problems in the past, and they crept in again early in this one, giving Washington some early momentum. The Commanders took advantage of the field position and drove deep into New York territory, but the defense locked in and forced a short 21-yard field goal from Joey Slye, which gave the Commanders a 3-0 lead early on.
- The Commanders feature one of the best defensive lines in the NFL, and they made their presence felt early on Sunday, as a Daron Payne sack derailed the Giants’ second drive of the day. Washington then went on eight-play, 62 yard drive, led by a steady rushing attack and capped off with a Taylor Heinicke 19-yard touchdown to Terry McLaurin, who broke a tackle en route to putting Washington up by 10.
- A Graham Gano 48-yard field goal to start the second quarter put the Giants on the board for the first time, with a 21-yard scramble from Jones accounting for nearly half the yardage on the drive. Even with those three points, the Giants offense stumbled out of the gates, putting up 57 total yards on their first three drives, 45 of which came on drive No. 3.
-They finally hit the big play on their fourth drive though, as Jones fired one deep for Darius Slayton, who made a tremendous catch for a gain of 49 yards into Washington territory. Jones converted a key third-and-seven with his legs later in the drive, and Saquon Barkley dashed up the middle for a 13-yard touchdown on the next play, knotting the game at 10-10 with 8:49 to go in the second.
- The Giants came into the game shorthanded at corner without Adoree’ Jackson and Darnay Holmes, putting extra pressure on the team’s healthy corners. Fabian Moreau, tasked with covering McLaurin on a third-down play, committed a costly holding penalty to extend a Washington drive in the second quarter. Moreau came up with a big play later on a third-down stop (officials picked up a flag for possible pass interference), but a Slye field goal put Washington back up, 13-10.