New York Giants Disappoint in 21-6 Loss to Washington Commanders

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New York Giants Disappoint in 21-6 Loss to Washington Commanders

Jason Leach · Sportsnaut

Mon, Sep 8, 2025 ·

4 min read

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The euphoria of what the New York Giants achieved this offseason and preseason quickly vanished on Sunday as they were outclassed by the Washington Commanders 21-6.

With the additions of Russell Wilson and Abdul Carter , 2025 was supposed to be a new beginning where the team re-gained credibility. Instead, it was the same uninspiring display of football that fans have grown accustomed to seeing over the last decade.

There's a grocery list of issues that plagued Big Blue against the Commanders. But we'll just dig to the top three and explain why 2025 is quickly shaping up to be the same disaster we've seen time and time before.

Russell Wilson Didn't Cook At All

NFL: New York Giants at Washington Commanders — Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images

The team signed Russell Wilson to a one-year deal with the belief he would rejuvenate the offense with his moon balls downfield. But on Sunday, the 36-year-old quarterback was out of sync and looked overwhelmed by the Commanders pass rush.

Wilson completed 17 out of 37 passes for 168 yards, and while some of his misfires were due to being under duress, he didn't play up to expectations. Although he was sacked only twice, he was pressured frequently, and it was clear that it was affecting him.

There was speculation before the game that the team had a couple of packages for Jaxson Dart , but he never saw the field. You have to wonder, based on how ineffective the team was with Wilson, why head coach Brian Daboll didn't bring the rookie in the game to see if he could provide a spark.

Wilson is not expected to have a long leash on the starting job with how well Dart played in the preseason. If the offense doesn't improve against Dallas next week, the leash will get even shorter.

As we mentioned, Washington's pass rush was one of the reasons for Wilson's struggles. But the offensive line was just as bad, if not worse, in their run blocking. The line was unable to create holes for their running backs as Tyrone Tracy Jr , Devin Singletary , and Cam Skattebo ran the ball 15 times for just 30 yards.

It was expected that the line might struggle without Andrew Thomas , but the issues up front run deeper than just the absence of their All-Pro left tackle. This has been the Achilles heel for the team for years, and there's no reason to believe that even when Thomas returns, the unit won't struggle.

Giants Run Defense Still Sloppy

After the success Washington had in their two-game sweep of New York last season, you knew their game plan would be to dominate the tempo of the game with their ground attack . They would execute their plan to perfection as they ran the ball 32 times for 220 yards with two touchdowns.

It wasn't just the Commanders' backs that had success running all over New York; quarterback Jayden Daniels had 11 rushes for 68 yards, to go along with 19 out of 30 pass attempts for 233 yards and a touchdown.

To make matters worse for Big Blue, linebacker Micah McFadden was carted off the field with a leg injury, and although the extent of his injury is unknown, he will miss time.

Although the edge rusher trio of Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Abdul Carter had a combined three sacks, they won't be able to dominate or change the course of games this season if the defense continues to get run on.

Brian Daboll's Seat Heats Up

Brian Daboll may have been an offensive genius when he was the offensive coordinator with the Buffalo Bills with Josh Allen as his quarterback, but he has been anything but that since he became the Giants' head coach in 2022.

In his three years in New York, the offense has averaged 21.6, 15.6, and 16.1 points per game. This ineptitude on offense appears to be a constant problem, as Big Blue scored the fewest points in the NFL on Sunday.

But perhaps what has been the most glaring is how ill-prepared he has his team to start the season.

In the team's last three season openers, they've been outscored 89-12 and became the first team since the 1940-42 Detroit Lions to be held without a touchdown in three consecutive season openers.

After the team set a franchise record of losses in a season in 2024, Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen were already on the hot seat. That seat is even hotter after their loss to the Commanders. Despite the changes made to the roster, the results remain the same under the 50-year-old head coach. The clock is definitely ticking on his time in New York.

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