LANDOVER, Md. — After an eight-month layoff, the Giants played their 18th game of the 2024 Season That Everyone Wants To Forget, and it went just as poorly as most of the others.
Wait a second.
Sunday was supposed to mark the start of a new season — and new era — with positive vibes and an upgraded roster?
You could have fooled the fans watching the Giants lose 21-6 to the Commanders.
“It’s a new season,” head coach Brian Daboll said, “but it does hurt. No question about that.”
The offense still gained just 231 yards, converted only 4-of-16 third downs, made scoring touchdowns look impossible and relied on bailout kicks from Graham Gano.
With stud left tackle Andrew Thomas sidelined, the blocking still caved in around a quarterback (Russell Wilson) who was hit eight times.
Fill-in starter James Hudson III wasn’t the only one to blame.
And the defense still couldn’t force a takeaway and never got to fully display its pass-rushing identity because it was gashed by the run.
All the same old problems need correcting headed toward a virtual must-win road game against the Cowboys.
“My confidence isn’t wavering from one game,” said Brian Burns, who had two sacks. “I still have a lot of confidence in this team. It’s one game. Not going to let that turn into two.”
The Giants are 0-1 for the eighth time in nine years — and none of those Week 1 losses gave way to a playoff berth.
One year ago, it led to the misery of a 3-14 finish.
“We have to be urgent, because if we let this linger like we did last year, we’ll be 3-14 again,” right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor said, “and I’m damn sure not going to accept that. That sucked last year.”
Wilson did not look like the advertised cure-all for an offense that finished No. 31 in scoring last season, yet still brought back 10 of 11 starters while replacing one below-average quarterback — at least until Daniel Jones blew up Sunday with the Colts — with another at this late stage of his great career.
What Wilson looked like in going 17-for-37 for 168 yards is a tentative quarterback who couldn’t capitalize on the doorstep.
The Giants ran 13 red-zone plays — 12 of which were called passes — and scored three points.
Play-caller Mike Kafka seemed to abandon the run as his three backs produced 15 carries for 30 yards.
“The game was simple in that we didn’t convert in the red zone,” Wilson said. “When the ball is on the 1-, 2-yard line, we have to score. They stopped us. That changes the entire complexion of the game.”
Despite having a Jaxson Dart package of plays installed in the game plan, Daboll said that he never considered turning to the rookie who aced every preseason test.
“We were right there until the end,” Daboll said. “It’s a collective deal. We can all do better.”
One eyesore epitome of the offense came when trailing 7-0 in the second quarter: The Giants ran seven plays inside the 8-yard line but couldn’t score a touchdown.
Television cameras showed Daboll and Malik Nabers barking at each other.
“Six points, it’s tough to win a game,” Daboll said. “We left 11 points out there in the red zone.”
The combination of playing from behind and an inability to stop the run (220 rushing yards allowed) neutralized the possibilities for the vaunted pass rush.
Sure, the Giants sacked Jayden Daniels three times, but he also passed for 223 yards and a touchdown, and ran for 68 more to push the Commanders’ average to 6.9 yards per carry.
The Giants caught a huge break at the end of the first half, when Daniels was penalized for intentional grounding at the 4-yard line with no timeouts in his pocket.
A 10-second clock runoff ended the half without allowing the Commanders to attempt a chip shot of a field goal and pad their 14-3 lead.
The Giants had one fourth-quarter possession in a one-score game, trailing 14-6.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. was popped trying to secure a third-and-4 checkdown pass, which led to a punt.
The Super Bowl hopeful Commanders promptly marched 80 yards on nine plays, punctuated by Deebo Samuel’s 19-yard touchdown run.
“We have to tackle — that’s the biggest point,” Dexter Lawrence II said. “We got them in a lot of third-and-longs.”
When it first looked like the Giants were finished — Wilson threw an interception with 3:46 remaining — the Giants were given a reprieve by a roughing the passer penalty on Bobby Wagner in a collision of longtime Seahawks teammates.
The second life meant nothing as those earlier goal-line failures resurfaced.
The Giants have been outscored 89-12 in their past three touchdown-less season openers.
So, here we go again?
“That’s not our mindset,” Lawrence said. “We have to get ready to play Dallas and beat them. Don’t make it two [losses]. No need for rah rah. We’ve got the players and we’ve got each other, and that’s all we need.”
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