Giants grades vs. Commanders: Mostly good marks all around
Giants head coach Brian Daboll smiles during his news conference at the end of an NFL game against the Commanders on Sunday in Landover, Md. Credit: AP/Andrew Harnik
OFFENSE: C
It certainly wasn’t pretty. The Giants were sacked nine times and before the final snap of the third quarter had zero rushing yards. But Tommy DeVito was able to function in the imperfect environment without turning the ball over and Barkley finished with 83 rushing yards (not to mention a pair of receiving touchdowns). DeVito spread the ball around — eight different players were targeted, seven made catches — and the Giants had eight plays go for 20+ yards. The 31 points matched a team high set in Week 2 this season and nearly matched the 33 they had scored in the three previous games. Little side laurel: Zero penalties called on the Giants offense in this game.
DEFENSE: B
Five takeaways saved the day in a game in which the Commanders otherwise gained 403 yards, none more than the last one when Isaiah Simmons snagged a floater from Sam Howell and returned it 54 yards for a touchdown. Before that it felt eerily similar to the Jets game the Giants had in their clutches before frittering it away in the final moments, right down to the Kayvon Thibodeaux penalty. Thibodeaux did have an impressive game otherwise with 2 of the team’s four sacks. Darnay Holmes and Nick McCloud also had picks and Xavier McKinney and Micah McFadden each notched a fumble recovery. Bobby Okereke led the team with 14 tackles.
SPECIAL TEAMS: A
Talk about setting the tone for the second half: Washington had just scored late in the second quarter and received the ball to begin the third but Dane Belton and Nick McCloud combined to force a fumble on the kickoff return which was recovered by Gervarrius Owens. Jamie Gillan put two of his seven punts inside the 20, including one that was a fair catch at the 8, and the coverage help dangerous punt returner (and former Giant) Jamison Crowder to zero net yards on four tries. Randy Bullock, in his final game as a practice squad call-up, knocked through a 36-yard field goal.
COACHING: B
Despite the outside clamor about tanking and the visible frustrations that have shown up in recent weeks, Brian Daboll and the staff never succumbed to the noise. They kept playing hard and with purpose. That doesn’t always happen. It took a while for the offense to get the ball to Barkley in space with some outside tosses, but we’ll be generous and call that patience. Once they did it opened everything up for the running game. After back-to-back embarrassing defensive displays Wink Martindale had his guys flying around the field once more.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.