Azeez Ojulari – © USA TODAY Sports

QUARTERBACK

-Daniel Jones: 21/32 – 160 yards / 0 TD – 0 INT / 77.6 RAT

Jones added 35 yards on 10 carries. He led the NYG offense to 13 points and one touchdown. It was far from an impressive group-performance on tape, but the key here is what he did when it mattered most. Jones made several key plays in big moments that led to the win. NYG’s best drive of the year took place in the second quarter. They were up 7-3 and started on their own three-yard line. 18 plays and 97 yards later, Barkley scored a touchdown to give them a commanding 11-point lead which they carried into halftime. On this drive alone, Jones went 10/12 for 91 yards. Almost half of his completions and over 55% of his yards from the game took place here. He came up with a big-time throw on 3rd-and-9 and then another one on 4th-and-9. Both of which went to Richie James.

The other major positive in this game was the fact Jones did not turn the ball over. In a game like this, the turnover battle means as much as any component to the game. This is the ninth game Jones has not turned it over. This was the major red flag in Jones’ game early on, but undoubtedly the biggest improvement we have seen out of him. It is a good sign to see the player show he can make objective improvements that are vital to team success. While I would not say Jones put the team on his shoulders and led them through the fire, this was more of what I wanted to see. I care less about touchdowns and yards per attempt (5 yards per is VERY low) because of the handicap he is playing with at receiver. I do care about making the big throws in big moments. I do care about him protecting the ball. I do care about him creating opportunities on his own. Jones did all of the above. The quickness in getting the ball out made all the difference and it is amazing how much better the result is when he does so. It took him an average of 2.55 seconds to throw. It was the best of the year and I believe there is a correlation between that time and the offensive efficiency. The quality pass protection helped a lot, too.

RUNNING BACK

-Saquon Barkley: 18 att – 87 yards – 1 TD / 5 rec – 33 yards

Now this is what we all want and what NYG needs out of Barkley. The funny part is, I knew after his first carry that we were going to be watching the best version of him. It was immediate energy. It was a lack of hesitation. It was the immediate acceleration and sharp cuts. Barkley did not blow the box score up, but on a day where the team gained 288 net yards, his 120 total were a big deal. The true value of having an elite back like this shows up in the second half. What were his second half numbers? 11 att / 74 yards – 2 rec / 14 yards. Jones carried NYG on the game’s most important drive in the second quarter, as noted above. It was Barkley that took it over on the second most important drive of the game which took place in the fourth quarter. With a five-point lead and 6:06 left, WAS had all three timeouts remaining. This is where having the elite back is near vital. Barkley (and the NYG offensive line) responded with four straight running plays. Gains of 12, 15, and 14 yards began the drive. The runs were some of the best I have ever seen out of Barkley including his long highlight-reel touchdowns. He pressed the hole, made subtle adjustments, showed spin moves while moving at a full rate of speed, and he fell forward.

I will touch on this below, but the contrast between the best version of Barkley and the worst is enormous. Why is that? Can it actually be solved with a better group of blockers? Because I’ll tell you what. The NYG offensive line had one of their best games of the year in this game. If they play at this level week to week (with the same bodies or new additions), does Barkley become a guy gaining 5-6 yards per carry every week and playing the role of closer? Does that change the long-term outlook? Watching him in the fourth quarter is what makes many hold onto the hope of what #26 could be here. And it is real. It is not just a fantasy. And the number one factor why it may be overlooked by most.

-Matt Breida added 12 total yards (6 rushing / 6 receiving). Not a major impact but he brought a physical brand to the game.

WIDE RECEIVER

-Richie James continues to be one of the key players to this team who is stepping up when it matters. This time it was in a winning effort. He ended the game with 4 rec / 42 yards and returned two punts for 23 and 9 yards. Once again, we are not talking about taking over the box score, but he deserves the credit for shining in big moments. He caught all but one target. Three of his catches went for a first down. He was the recipient on 3rd-and-9 and 4th-and-9 conversions. He added 19 yards after the catch.

There are 51 NFL receivers who have caught 42 passes this season. James is 1 of 10 who have dropped 1 or zero balls. As I said last week, he is the one guy who I trust the most to get himself open and now he is proving he can be the go-to guy on conversion attempts.

-Isaiah Hodgins continues to impress and build his rapport with Jones. Four targets, four catches. The classic possession receiver is a tough and hard-nosed dude with plus-route running ability. That works in this league. The big play potential may not be there, but he is going to help move the chains. He’s done so 9 times over the last three games and Jones passer rating is 133.3 when throwing his way.

-Darius Slayton had 5 catches for 23 yards. He did not get any real looks downfield. NYG tried to kill the WAS pass defense with a thousand paper cuts. I would have liked to see one or two deep balls to Slayton. But the game plan was evidently short, quick passes and feeding Barkley.

TIGHT END

-Daniel Bellinger played a career-high 98% of the snaps while Nick Vannett and Chris Myarick only saw 16% and 10%, respectively. Bellinger was targeted 3 times, bringing in just 1 of them for 4 yards. He dropped a ball at the end of the third quarter that was a result of him simply not getting his head around fast enough. He has good, strong hands but the timing was simply off by a second there. Vannett’s catch went for 15 yards.

The group did a nice job on the edge in the running game. NYG’s run-success was between the tackles so these guys did not factor much, but they both had successful wham blocks on successful plays.

OFFENSIVE LINE

-Andrew Thomas allowed just one pressure on a play where the rusher used an inside move at the same time Jones had to step up into the pocket. Otherwise, a very good pass blocking game for the left tackle. But I thought he left some on the table in the running game. There was a little too much upper-lean to his game. Evan Neal got off to a rough start, but I thought he stabilized as the game went on. He also performed well in key spots. That said, he allowed 3 pressures and was flagged for a false start. Being matched up against Montez Sweat is no small task (second in NFL In QB hits) and he allowed Sweat to hit Jones just once without much help. He was also a force in the running game.

-Nick Gates (21 snaps) and Ben Bredeson (42 snaps) split time at left guard. They were both excellent. This was Bredeson’s first action since Week 7 in Jacksonville. I would love to know the plan here because I have a strong opinion that Bredeson at guard and Gates at center would give this offense their best line. I don’t think it will sway it too much, though. And one can make the case that the rotation will help keep these guys fresh. It appeared to help in the fourth quarter in this game, when the OL really took over.

-Nice work by Mark Glowinski. Two weeks ago, in his first matchup against WAS and Daron Payne, he ended up on the “Dud” list. This is one of the values to an experienced player who shows the blue-collar style of play at the absence of pure ability. Get beat, study film, go to a different part of the tool box, and try again. It worked. He threw multiple key blocks on their successful running plays and allowed just one pressure. Center Jon Feliciano allowed a TFL (5 yards) and was flagged for holding. He was excellent in pass protection when it came to help and staying home on stunts.

EDGE

-NYG does not win this game without Kayvon Thibodeaux. Plain and simple. You draft edge defenders high with the expectation they take games over. Not every week, not even every other week. But multiple times throughout the year they simply take over. 12 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1 pressure, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 touchdown. The grand slam (sack + FF + FR + TD) changed the game. It was one of the most athletic plays I have seen league-wide this year from a pass rusher. Thibodeaux, like Barkley, is playing with an increased sense of speed and twitch. It is turning into power, he is playing with great pad level, and opposing blockers are having a really hard time with it. The icing on the cake is the hustle he is showing. This dude emptied the tank, he gave the team everything he had. We saw him hustling downfield over and over. When the best players are the hardest working players, it is amazing what happens to the culture.

The one negative on his sheet will be the multiple times he got beat on the edge as a run defender. Like Wink Martindale, there is a wide spectrum of results with the way he plays the run. We saw the good (making plays behind line of scrimmage), but there were four separate times where he either got sucked in by a fake or took the wrong angle against the blocker. And they all resulted in big gains. Coaches will see that on tape.

-Azeez Ojulari added 4 tackles, 2 pressures, a half-sack, and a half-TFL. Solid, disruptive game and his mere presence on the other side has helped Thibodeaux put together a strong consecutive set of games. I like how he seems to increase his impact in the second half of games.

-Jihad Ward played a season-low 26 snaps and was not involved in much action. The lack of speed in pursuit almost allowed Taylor Heinicke to get into the end zone on the final drive but Thibodeaux saved the day. Tomon Fox and Oshane Ximines saw a little bit of playing time and did not make an impact. In games like this, it really comes down to the main two guys on the outside.

DEFENSIVE LINE

-Leonard Williams was back. While he didn’t play his best football, his presence is a difference maker. Having the front four of Williams-Lawrence-Ojulari-Thibodeaux is so crucial. It is a quartet that complements each other so well. Williams recovered a fumble and added a pressure in the fourth quarter. He stepped up when it mattered most.

-Dexter Lawrence continued his quality play. It was the second straight week we saw him under 75% of the defensive snaps, but he still ended with 3 tackles, a half-TFL, 3 pressures, and a forced fumble that NYG recovered. Like Williams, I thought his best football was played in the biggest moments.

-Henry Mondeaux, Justin Ellis, and undrafted rookie Ryder Anderson all played 12 snaps each. Anderson made the standout play, a sack (second in as many weeks) and continues to show what I saw over summer. There is something this team can work with here. The ceiling is high and he has a game similar to a young Leonard Williams (scaled back of course). Mondeaux and Ellis were run plugs and not much more. The run defense issues have more to do with the second level, and these guys are doing a good job of eating blockers and holding their ground, but neither are getting off blocks and making any plays. I would like to see one or two from each.

LINEBACKER

-When it comes to quickly filling running lanes, creating less space to work with is key to a downhill, early-down rushing attack WAS uses. Jaylon Smith mightily struggled here in the first half when the WAS running game was really moving. He did pick it up in the second half and he had 9 tackles, but he also allowed 3 catches on 3 targets for 35 yards. This has become a focal point to pick on by opposing offenses.

-Rookie Micah McFadden was better at getting into the inside running lanes quickly, but the lack of lateral range caught up to him. A good run defense needs that backside pursuit to be there, and I am not sure he has it. Landon Collins saw some real playing time in the second half and made two impressive tackles at the line of scrimmage. I like what Collins brings to the table and I think he is going to be a big part of the defense moving forward.

CORNERBACK

-Fabian Moreau was put on shadow-duty against Terry McLaurin once again. It resulted in 5 catches for 66 yards on 5 targets. The help over the top on vertical routes from Julian Love was a factor in McLaurin never having the explosive play.

-Cor’Dale Flott was tested multiple times downfield. While he did not break up anything up, I liked the movement traits once again. He needs to eventually progress with the ball skills and making plays, but the ability to play sticky is most important. He has that down on multiple levels of the route tree. There are major concerns with him as an outside run defender, however. He is getting overmatched physically.

-Nick McCloud and Darnay Holmes were the weak points of the defense in the secondary. McCloud allowed a touchdown and dropped an interception. While it goes down as a pass breakup, that is a play that simply needs to be made. While I am careful to put him down at all considering he was added via waivers and has exceeded expectations, I cannot look past the blown opportunity at game-changing plays. Holmes was penalized for the 8th time this year, second most in the NFL. And he got away with a blatant pass interference on the final WAS offensive play of the game. On that same drive, he allowed a huge play in coverage. Defenses know who to pick on in big spots.

SAFETY

-I like what we are seeing on a week-to-week basis from Jason Pinnock. He has run away with the starting safety job from Dane Belton while McKinney is out. He had 5 tackles, a forced fumble, and 2 pass breakups in addition to an untouched pressure. Pinnock’s closing speed is such a factor on outside runs. He is also limiting yards after the catch with quick, sure tackling.

-Julian Love added 7 tackles and missed one, while Tony Jefferson provided extra physical play with 2 tackles himself. NYG has been getting torched in the front seven against the run, but these safeties have stopped the bleeding.

SPECIAL TEAMS

-K Graham Gano: 2/2 (Made 50, 50)
-P Jamie Gillan: 5 punts / 42.6 avg – 41.8 net

3 STUDS

-EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux, WR Richie James, K Graham Gano

3 DUDS

-CB Darnay Holmes, OT Evan Neal, CB Nick McCloud

3 THOUGHTS ON WAS

(1) As the broadcast did a nice job noting, this loss makes the playoff odds for WAS take a nosedive. While they’re not out of it, they pretty much have to win two of their last three to have a shot. They are playing at a motivated SF next week, a game I can’t see them winning. Then two home games against CLE and DAL. Their hope may need to be that DAL would be resting starters in that game. SEA has games against NYJ and LAR remaining. DET has games against CHI, CAR, and GB remaining.

(2) Brian Robinson’s story is one of my favorite of the year. Getting shot, coming back much sooner than expected, and then taking the number one job in the backfield all within months of each other tells us a lot about the character of the man. That and his running style are going to cause problems for the Giants for years. The ideal blend of power, aggression, and quick speed.

(3) During the broadcast, color commentator Chris Collinsworth noted how vital it is for a team to have that third receiver in the passing game. Not sure if he is thinking Curtis Samuel is a real number two guy or not (I don’t), but I think he is one short. A real passing game that strikes fear into a defense needs four targets. Without the amount of nickel and dime being played and how quickly pass rushers are disrupting the timing now, I think the number is four. Three of them need to be receivers, and the fourth can be a tight end or a running back. Goes to show how far away NYG currently is from that kind of potential and how long it can and will take.

3 CLOSING THOUGHTS

(1) Why do we see a difference in movement traits with Barkley throughout the year? As I noted above, the first five steps of his first carry were all it took for me to note we were going to see the best version of him. Speed, burst, agility, stop and go. All of it. I did a quick look at games of his on grass in 2022 vs. games on turf. On grass, he averages 6 yards per touch and just 4 yards on turf (73 carries – 431 yards / 18 rec – 124 yards on grass and 196 carries – 739 yards / 29 rec – 170 yards on turf). All of this talk when it comes to the non-contact injuries on the turf could certainly be a block between Barkley and his ability. Something to think about and track.

(2) While we can all agree NYG is still early in the process of building a Super Bowl contending roster, I will say something about where they currently sit. This is the kind of team you get a little scared to play against in the playoffs. They have the tools to be very competitive if/when they get a lead. A running game that is capable (albeit inconsistent) of taking over late in games. A pass rush that now has four credible weapons if they stay healthy. There is more to it than that, I know. But those two pieces, when clicking, can do a ton of damage in cold weather games.

(3) Yes, when it comes to projected odds, NYG has a 90+% chance of making the playoffs. In my opinion, that means next to nothing. They need to get at least another win. 9 is the number you feel good about and they’re simply not there yet. MIN is a tough matchup. PHI Week 18 could still be a high-effort game for the Eagles because of home field advantage. And yes, the IND game looks easy on paper, but I still don’t think NYG is the kind of team that can look past anyone in that kind of situation. This win in WAS had some deeper meaning than just the micro-level result. I can’t help but continue to think down the road here and how much this game against MIN can mean for the culture-build. Emotional wins like this, league-wide, tend to lead to a letdown. I want to see the same effort against the Vikes. That will mean something beyond the result.

Daniel Jones – © USA TODAY Sports

THE STORYLINE:
To date, the New York Football Giants have had an NFC East problem. The facts are right in front of us:

• Overall record: 7-5-1
• NFC East record: 0-3-1
• Record outside of the division: 7-2

And any serious fan of this team knows this has been a problem for years. The Eagles are 23-6 against the Giants in their last 29 games. The Cowboys are 11-1 against the Giants in their last 12 games. Even against lowly Washington, the Giants are 0-2-1 in their last three games.

Why?

The obvious answers are talent and coaching. But if you dig a little deeper, the real problem appears the Giants are simply losing the battles within the trenches more than anything else. The other teams in the division have better offensive lines, and the teams in the division have been better and deeper in the front seven on defense. The Giants took steps to rectify these problems in offseason, including with both 1st-round picks, but they still are bringing up the rear in the division and a lot more talent acquisition remains to be done in order to close the gap.

The Eagles are clearly the best team in the NFC, and their 48-22 dismantling of the Giants last Sunday demonstrated just how much better they are than Big Blue. The Cowboys swept the Giants, but those contests were closer. Dallas is also clearly the better team, but the Giants can compete with them. The Commanders and Giants are fairly equally matched, as indicated by their 20-20 tie two weeks ago. However, injury issues on the Giants, particularly in the secondary, but also on the offensive line and in the receiving corps, most likely give the Commanders the tactical edge at this point in time. Washington has also had three weeks to prepare for the Giants (the week before the last game and the past two weeks since they had a bye week) and is almost completely healthy with no players missing practice this week.

Nevertheless, right now, everything is in front of the Giants. They are not a super-talented team. They have injuries. They are 0-3-1 in their last four games. But they are still 7-5-1 in mid-December. Their playoff fate is still in their own hands. Technically, the Giants are in 4th-place in the NFC East. The 7-5-1 Commanders have a better division record. But if the Giants beat the Commanders, they will own the head-to-head match-up and be in the driver’s seat for Wild Card spot. For all intents and purposes, Sunday night’s game is almost as important as a playoff game. It is probably the most important game this team has played since the 2016 season.

THE INJURY REPORT:

• WR Richie James (concussion – questionable)
• TE Daniel Bellinger (rib – questionable)
• OG Josh Ezeudu (neck – out)
• OG Shane Lemieux (toe – out)
• DL Leonard Williams (neck – questionable)
• OLB Jihad Ward (concussion – questionable)
• CB Adoree’ Jackson (knee – out)
• CB Nick McCloud (illness – questionable)
• LB Micah McFadden (neck/ankle – probable)

NEW YORK GIANTS ON OFFENSE:
The Washington Commanders have a damn good and well-coached defense. They are currently 4th in the NFL overall and one of the most balanced defenses, being 9th against the run, 7th against the pass. They are also 10th in scoring defense. Two weeks ago, despite playing four full quarters and 10 minutes in overtime, the Giants were held to 316 total net yards (134 yards rushing and 182 yards passing). While quarterback Daniel Jones was 25-of-31 (104.3 QBR), only missing on six passes, including a costly drop by Darius Slayton, the Giants average gain per pass play was just over five yards. A bigger issue was that Saquon Barkley was held to 63 total yards with only three of those yards embarrassingly coming after halftime.

Pundits and fans can point fingers everywhere: coaching, quarterback, wide receiver, running back, tight end, offensive line. All had a role in the team’s inability to score a single point in the 1st and 4th quarters, as well as overtime. Indeed, had it not been for Azeez Ojulari’s sack-fumble-recovery early in the 3rd quarter, the Giants’ offense would not have been given a very short field to score their final points of the game. Their final seven possessions resulted in six punts and a missed field goal, gaining only six first downs, three of which came on one drive. After the 20-yard drive for a touchdown at the beginning of the 3rd quarter, the Giants gained only one yard for the rest of regulation. It was ugly.

If I was to pinpoint one primary problem for the NYG offense in that game, it was the inability of LG Nick Gates, OC Jon Feliciano, and RG Mark Glowinski to block stud defensive tackles Daron Payne (4 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 TFLs) and Jonathan Allen (8 tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 forced fumble). Both of these players were wreaking havoc both against the run and the pass. The New York offensive tackles actually held up well in this game, but the interior line just couldn’t handle the strength of the Commanders’ defense. Gates is still rounding into form after a long layoff from a career-threatening leg injury. Feliciano and Glowinski played despite neck and back injuries, respectively, that made them both questionable for the December 4th game against the Commanders. Hopefully, all three play better.

Saquon Barkley said he had a great week of practice and readily admits his team needs him now to make big plays. Daniel Jones has a history of playing extremely well at Washington (7  touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 111.4 QBR in 3 career starts there). But the Giants are not going to be able to do much unless Gates, Feliciano, and Glowinski play much better than they did on December 4th. It’s almost really that simple. Barkley and Jones can’t do their things if the line doesn’t give them room to operate.

“Those two D-tackles – especially Allen – I think he’s one of the better defensive tackles in the league,” said Gates this week. “And especially what he does, there’s not many other defensive tackles that can play in that body. They’re big, strong guys. The big thing is trying to keep them away from your body and move your feet on them. You don’t want them to get coasting.”

“Allen is one of the premier tackles in the league, one hundred percent,” Feliciano said. “He kind of gets, I don’t want to say ‘lost in the sauce’ there. They have a lot of first round guys… But Jon Allen is definitely a really, really good player.”

“There’s things that they do that definitely create problems,” Glowinski said. “But it will always be us controlling our techniques, making sure we’re putting ourselves in places to succeed, making sure that we’re (executing) proper assignments and things like that. There are things that pop up throughout the game. It’s just us making sure that we’re putting ourselves in the right position and place, making sure that we’re all on the same page, communications, fundamentals, just knowing where we’re going.”

One added advantage Washington will have this time is the return of top draft pick DE Chase Young. Like the Eagles and Cowboys, this is another team with a good secondary and New York’s talent-challenged receiving corps will likely struggle. Commanders get CB Benjamin St-Juste back. Slayton had a big 55-yard catch in the last game, but also had a huge drop. It sure would be nice if Kenny Golladay could make ONE freaking memorable play before the Giants cut him in the offseason.

Personally, I think Jones and Barkley have their fate in their hands. The contracts of both are up. Both will want big money. This is the biggest game of the season for the Giants. And in order for New York to win, both Jones and Barkley need to elevate the play of those around them and be difference makers. If they can’t do that, in a game like this, then I’m not sure these are the players to build around.

NEW YORK GIANTS ON DEFENSE:
Giants fans have known for some time that this game was going to be the most important of the regular season. We had all hoped that FS Xavier McKinney and CB Adoree’ Jackson would be back for this contest, giving a huge boost to a New York defense that has increasingly struggled in their absence. Alas, it is not to be and the Giants will have to get by once again with their depleted secondary. In the last game, Taylor Heinicke threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns and no interceptions. WR Terry McLaurin caught 8 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. Slot receiver Curtis Samuel chipped in with 6 catches for 63 yards and WR Jahan Dotson had 5 catches for 54 yards and a costly touchdown. Tackling was an issue for the New York linebackers and secondary with the targets making big yards and scoring after the catch.

If that weren’t bad enough, the Giants also gave up 165 yards on the ground, allowing 4.6 yards per rush. Rookie RB Bryan Robinson out-performed everyone on the Giants, carrying the ball 21 times for 96 yards.

The reporters finally asked Wink Martindale about his unit’s struggling run defense. “It’s been a struggle,” replied Martindale. “We’ve played with more DBs than we ever have this year, just to change things up. So, I think that’s part of it. I think teams are just running the ball more and we’ve played three really good mobile quarterbacks.” (My interpretation of this is that Martindale feels like he has to play more defensive backs in order to prevent big plays in the passing game due to the talent dropoff. The tradeoff is weakening your run defense).

When asked about defending the edges, he responded, “I think there’s a multitude of things that we’re working on to try to remedy that. I don’t think it’s just always on the edges, I think there’s some right up the middle too that we’ve had some issues with. So, it’s like one of those things when you start working on it, you’re plugging the dike. I’m running out of fingers and toes to plug the dike. So, we’re just going to continue to work at it and try to get better and play better defense, coach better defense, and go attack this team just like we do every Sunday.” (Pure speculation here but I think Wink knows he needs better depth on the defensive line and better talent at inside linebacker).

The issue for the Giants against Washington two weeks ago wasn’t Dexter Lawrence or edge players Kayvon Thibodeaux, Azeez Ojulari, and Jihad Ward. They all played fairly well. Leonard Williams left the game with a neck injury that still has him limited. This will be his first action since leaving that game. It’s absolutely critical that he plays a full game and is effective in doing so. The Giants desperately need him. The drop-off to the no-name reserves is just too great. In addition, while both Micah McFadden and Jaylon Smith had their moments on December 4th, they also struggled in lateral pursuit. Like many running games today, the Commanders use a lot of sleight of hand and misdirection. Both inside guys need to play disciplined football.

The defensive keys are obvious. The same things that were true two weeks ago remain. Attempt to limit the damage of Robinson and the other running backs. Without Adoree’ Jackson, pray CB Fabian Moreau can do a better job in defending McLaurin this time around. Moreau may have had his worst day of the season that day. (To keep things in perspective with the Giants right now, remember Moreau, who is currently the team’s top healthy cornerback, was cut by the Texans in August). What may help the Giants is the return of slot corner Darnay Holmes, who missed the first game with a shoulder injury. The Commanders were able to exploit his replacement, Zyon Gilbert, at times in that game. The Giants also need a strong game from Nick McCloud, who has been battling illness all week. If he is under the weather, we may see more of Cor’Dale Flott or Rodarius Williams.

Washington’s interior offensive line is more consistent than New York’s. But the outside tackles had problems with Thibodeaux, Ojulari, and Ward. The Giants need more of that from these three this week. We also saw how big turnovers were in the December 4th game. A fumble by the Giants led to three points for Washington. A fumble by the Commanders led to a touchdown for New York. The team that wins the turnover battle will likely prevail on Sunday night.

One final point: New York’s tackling was atrocious in the last game against Washington. If they can clean that up, that could be the difference as well.

NEW YORK GIANTS ON SPECIAL TEAMS:
Despite the punt block, the Giants had two more costly special teams plays last week, including the botched punt and a 66-yard kickoff return. Special teams have been one of the most disappointing elements of New York’s play this year. In the last game between these two teams, the Giants did an OK job on punt and kick coverage, as well as punt and kick returns. Jamie Gillan had one of his better games with a net average of 42.7 with three punts downed inside the 20. Keep in mind that Washington has one of the best punters in the NFL. Returner Dax Milne, who missed the last game, returns and the Giants will have to deal with him this time around.

FROM THE COACH’S MOUTH:
Offensive Coordinator Mike Kafka on Washington’s two defensive tackles: “They’re aggressive, they’re violent, they get up field and they play almost every snap. They never come off the field. It’s going to be a great challenge for us.”

THE FINAL WORD:
These are two teams that are relatively evenly matched, but Washington will have the advantages of playing at home, having three weeks to prepare for the same opponent, and being healthier. On the flip side, coming off a bye week can lead to rusty play. The Commanders get Chase Young back, but the Giants will also hopefully have Leonard Williams for a full game this time around. The addition of Darnay Holmes could be significant too. I would also not underestimate the rustiness of Gates, nor the injuries that Feliciano and Glowinski played with in the last game.

I’ll finish with what I said earlier. Jones and Barkley need to make plays in key situations. Turnovers and tackling are also huge.

Jake Fromm – © USA TODAY Sports

QUICK RECAP

In a year where the NFL opted to add a week to the regular season and one more game to every team’s schedule, NYG just happened to go through arguably the worst season of its long history. What has seemed like a painfully-long 4+ months finally had an end in sight, as NYG matched up against division-rival Washington in front of a home crowd that appeared smaller and less interested than a preseason game. Washington, entering the game 6-10 in Year 2 of the Ron Rivera regime, had lost 4 straight and was without several key defenders. It was one of a handful of games around the league that had zero impact on the playoff picture but could move the needle a bit when it came to the 2022 NFL Draft order.

The opening drive resulted in an easy 3 points for WAS as they marched right down the field with minimal resistance from the NYG defense. Quarterback Jake Fromm marched out under center, receiving another shot at the job after Mike Glennon missed the game with a wrist injury. The opening NYG offensive drive resulted in a couple first downs as they approached field goal range. Rather than taking the points via the foot of Graham Gano, they opted for a jet sweep to Alex Bachman on 4th-and-1. He was tackled for a 3-yard loss as somebody forgot to block the one defender who had the first shot at blowing up the play. Turnover on downs.

The rest of the first half included four 3-and-outs by the NYG offense and uneventful drives by WAS. The standout play, however, was an ideal summary to what this NYG offense and team overall have become. NYG was backed up inside their own 5-yard line with 5:42 left in the half. Fromm missed fullback Elijhaa Penny with a poor throw before Penny was flagged for a false start. They were now on their own 2-yard line, 2nd-and-11. Judge made the call to QB sneak it two straight plays. It was an obvious decision as well, as the formation told everyone with half a brain what was coming. I have never seen this before especially for a team that had nothing to lose.

WAS added 3 more points as they maintained a solid grip on the field position battle and were up 6-0 at halftime. NYG had 48 yards on 22 plays against a bottom-third defense that was missing half of its starting lineup.

NYG began the second half with the ball and gained a first down on a Devontae Booker run. Perhaps they figured something out during the break? Booker was then tackled for a 2-yard loss before 2 straight incompletions by Fromm. Another punt. After forcing a stop once WAS was approaching field goal range, NYG got the ball back on their own 14-yard line, still down 6. The drive was over on the fourth play, as Fromm was intercepted by cornerback Bobby McCain who returned it 30 yards for the game’s first touchdown. The 2-point conversion attempt failed, and the WAS lead was at 12.

The 3rd quarter came to a close as the NYG drive stretched to 14 plays and included two conversions on 4th down, two on 3rd. All stemmed from the arm or legs of Jake Fromm. On 3rd-and-7 from the WAS 22-yard line, he hit Darius Slayton (yes he is still on the team) for a touchdown. They were within 5 against an offense that had yet to put the ball in the end zone themselves. That lasted one drive, as Antonio Gibson who rushed for a career-high 146 yards on the day, ran one in for a 1-yard touchdown.

Fromm was sacked on the very first play of the ensuing drive and lost a fumble, putting WAS in superb field position yet again. That resulted in a 23-yard field goal to put the game at 22-7 as every NYG fan, what was left of them, watched the clock waiting for it to read 0:00 with more intent than Times Square on New Year’s Eve waiting for the ball to drop.

The two teams traded uneventful possessions as NYG had the ball for the final time of this dismal season. Fromm, right on cue, ended that drive with an interception into the hands of McCain for the second time.

NYG loses 22-7.

QUARTERBACK

-Jake Fromm: 15/31 – 103 yards / 1 TD – 2 INT / 40.1 RAT

Over the team’s final 4 games, Fromm’s 40.1 RAT was the best out of a starting quarterback on this team. Yes, you read that right. He did add 53 yards on the ground, which was more than the Barkley-Booker duo. His accuracy on the easy underneath throws was poor and his arm talent simply isn’t good enough for anything downfield on a consistent basis. The question will eventually be asked, should Fromm be in the fold for a backup job next year? Personally, I saw enough. He isn’t a pro quarterback. There is no physical upside. Unless he is a top-notch presence in meetings and on the practice field, I’ll pass.

RUNNING BACK

-Saquon Barkley ran for 30 yards on 11 carries and caught 3 of 4 targets for 19 yards. He finishes the season with 856 total yards (4.2 per touch), 4 touchdowns, and 2 fumbles in 13 games (12, really). Such a far cry from his 2,028 yards (5.8 per), 15 touchdown, 0-fumble rookie season in 2018. Is there anything positive to take from this season regarding Barkley coming from someone that wanted him back in 2018? To be short, no. His best rushing performances did come on the back of the season, but I still see far too much hesitation and a lack of consistent burst out of his cuts. I don’t see a real trade market for him, thus we will see #26 in 2022 if I had to guess right now. We won’t ever know what he is until the group up front gets fixed and even if the team uses top the 10 picks on linemen, there is no guarantee it will make a major difference right away. Rookie offensive linemen are generally very inconsistent.

-Devontae Booker ran for 14 yards on 8 carries and caught both of his targets for 12 yards. If nothing else, the 6-year veteran was always there for this team. He didn’t miss a game and was the back who made the most of his opportunities. He didn’t fumble once on 185 touches, something we would be very happy about had this team been a contender. His 861 yards were the highest of his career since his rookie season where he started 6 games (played in all 16) for DEN. Booker’s cap hit is $3 million in 2022. Should he be brought back or should NYG take the $1 million cap hit and cut him loose? I think Barkley will not be in the long-term vision of the new regime, thus I would love for them to use a mid-round pick on a new back with fresh legs. Let him and Barkley man the backfield in 2022, cut Booker loose and use the money elsewhere.

WIDE RECEIVER

-Kenny Golladay’s horrid season after signing his $72 million deal isn’t getting enough attention. There are bigger issues with this franchise, but this is a contract that may rival the Nate Solder one that was signed in 2018. Currently he has one of the biggest 7 contracts in the league at wide receiver and is coming off a year with 0 touchdowns, just over 2 catches per game, and a career low 14.1 yards per catch. His speed and suddenness look half of what it was in DET and I can’t say he inspired me with a ton of hope for the future. His cap hit for the next 3 years are all $21 million respectively. NYG will be feeling that one for a while.

-Darius Slayton caught 2 passes, one of which was the lone NYG score of the day. It was his second touchdown of the season, the first coming against WAS as well on September 16. The 10.3% drop percentage and lack of progress across the board since his strong rookie season should kick him to the curb this offseason and be replaced with a rookie.

TIGHT END

-Evan Engram caught a pass for 4 yards and Kyle Rudolph led team with 4 catches, totaling 17 yards. This is another position where NYG may need to wipe the slate clean and start over. As my draft grades are becoming more and more clear each week, I see several potential picks here that are worth drafting as early as round 2. Engram proved he does more harm than good, and the Rudolph signing was a good idea on paper but he has a whopping $7.4 cap hit in 2022. The team could save $5 million (using it elsewhere such as the OL? DL?) by cutting him. That is a no brainer to me.

OFFENSIVE LINE

-Andrew Thomas pitched a shutout and capped off an incredibly-successful sophomore season in the NFL. There are a few players on this team who can be a part of the long-term future and Thomas may be the lead guy. Not a bad place to start considering the position he plays. He is reliable on an island, made strides with his consistency, plays through pain, and shows up to work every day.

-NYG was torched inside and even though I think NYG will likely go OT with one of their first 3 picks, I think the biggest issue are the 2 guard spots and center. They can’t get a push at all, they’re terrible in pass protection, and there is no hope for the future with anyone on the roster. Ben Bredeson relieved Will Hernandez, who went down with an ankle injury. He received the lowest grade on the line, allowing 3 pressures and a half-sack. He was also flagged for a hold, but it was declined. Matt Skura moved back to guard, as Billy Price returned. Price allowed 2.5 sacks, Skura allowed a TFL, and both allowed 1 pressure.

-Nate Solder played what was likely his final game in the NFL, most certainly last as a Giant. He was flagged for illegally being downfield but was pretty quiet otherwise. He finished with an above average grade for just the 3rd time this season.

-Korey Cunningham and Wes Martin saw time as extra blockers in this high school-caliber offense. We even saw Cunningham running routes asking for the ball like we saw kids in recess do back in the day.

DEFENSIVE LINE

-Dexter Lawrence summed up his season perfectly in this game. He finished with 5 tackles, 1 TFL, and 2 pressures when looking at the positives. The negatives don’t show up on the traditional stat sheet. He was the guiltiest culprit, or at least tied with Jaylon Smith, for WAS running back Antonio Gibson going crazy on the ground. Several runs went right by him, as he was late to reach his points and didn’t disengage well enough. He is such an up-and-down presence who struggles to play the lateral game.

-Leonard Williams had a sack and a pressure. Again, credit to him for finishing the year while playing with what I have heard is a very painful elbow injury. This kid is here for the long term and remains one of the top-5 defensive tackles in the game. I do wish he offered more against the run, however. Because of his lack of stoutness, the players around him need to specialize in that department. Another reason why I’m not confident Lawrence is the right fit here.

LINEBACKER

-Lorenzo Carter finished the season on a hot streak that began toward the beginning of December. He was all over the field, finishing with 10 tackles (a career high) and a sack. I recorded it as a split sack with Azeez Ojulari, who finished with 3 tackles and 2 pressures, but the official scorekeeping gave it to Carter by himself. That gave him 5 sacks on the year, all of which came in the final 4 games. Carter’s margin in his movement from now to the start of the year, Defensive Coordinator’s Patrick Graham’s affirmation of respect for him, and the way he ended the year will likely get him a spot on this roster next year. The speed bump and potential roadblock there, however, is whether or not there will be a market for him in free agency. 14.5 sacks in 49 games (32 starts) doesn’t exactly spell big contract, but there is no denying his tool set and this league has a way of surprising when it comes to the pursuit of pass rushers.

-Tae Crowder led the team with 12 tackles (1 TFL) and finished the year with 130 on the year. 17 starts and ranking 15th in the league in tackles is quite impressive for a 7th round pick in his second year. Make no mistake about it, Crowder is a solid player who many teams would love to have as an inside backup. But as we have seen for most of the year, he had too many negative plays that led to the big rushing day WAS had. Moving forward, Crowder can be an accessory piece to this defense but you can’t keep his spot in the starting lineup etched in stone.

-Jaylon Smith ended with 5 tackles and a pass break up. From the broadcast angle and to the casual fan, Smith looks like a player. Part of the reason is the fact he makes a dramatic scene every time he makes a play. Focusing in on his play-to-play impact led me to a lower outlook though. He has terrible gap integrity and washes himself out of so many running plays. There is also a hitch in his step that I don’t recall seeing when he was at the top of his game.

CORNERBACK

-Adoree’ Jackson and James Bradberry both played the entire game. They were torched early on as Terry McLaurin made them look silly via route running and playing the ball in the air. They settled down a bit with WAS leading for nearly the entire game, they weren’t challenged much. These 2 will almost certainly be back for the 2022 season. Not a bad duo, but a very expensive one.

-Rookie Aaron Robinson saw just 8 snaps and didn’t impact the game much. Unfortunate rookie year for him, as he missed much of the year but there was enough for me to remain optimistic in this scheme.

SAFETY

-Logan Ryan remained one of the main contributors and leaders of the defense, playing hard through the end. He had 7 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 pressure.

-Xavier McKinney finished with 8 tackles and a pass break up, a ball he nearly intercepted but didn’t fully control when he went to the ground. His midfield-to-sideline speed shows up and the anticipation he shows is a weapon. Really impressive year for him, a season after he missed 10 games.

-Julian Love finished with 2 tackles, playing about two-thirds of the snaps. His playing time has been so back and forth this season, but he still has another year on his rookie deal, and I expect to see the same out of him next year. He brings a lot of value to the table with his versatility.

SPECIAL TEAMS

-K Graham Gano: 1/1 XP.
-P Riley Dixon: 6 punts / 51.0 avg – 47.2 net

3 STUDS

-OT Andrew Thomas, OLB Lorenzo Carter, S Logan Ryan

3 DUDS

-OC Billy Price, OG Ben Bredeson, QB Jake Fromm

3 THOUGHTS ON WAS

(1) Year Two of the Ron Rivera regime looked awfully like year one. 7 wins in 2020, 7 wins 2021. The defense went backward, they’re in no-man’s land at quarterback, and they’re too far down the draft list to go after a top target in Round 1. They are strong in the trenches, but that talent pool won’t be together too much longer because of finances. Next season will be a big one for Rivera and you must think he is going to bang the table hard to be one of the teams in the QB trade market this offseason. They’re ready for it.

(2) Jamin Davis, their 1st round pick last April, opened a lot of eyes as the season progressed. We all knew about the elite tool set but at the start of the year, he looked lost mentally. His back half of the season looked completely different, and I think they can go into the offseason very confident in yet another component on their defense.

(3) Right guard Brandon Scherff is the highlight free agent of this current WAS squad. The 30-year-old is one of the top 5 or 6 guards in the league, but will he shake free? Because WAS won’t have much money wrapped into the quarterback spot, he could very easily be brought back on a long deal. They could also franchise him. If he does hit the market, expect him to be the highest paid guard in football.

3 CLOSING THOUGHTS

(1) It is really hard for me to sum up this season without sounding like a jerk. I’ll try my best by focusing in on the building blocks NYG has on the roster. They appear to be set at 2 positions that are VERY hard to find. Andrew Thomas is a keeper at left tackle if that foot holds up. Hate to see such big guys deal with lower joint issues early in their career. Xavier McKinney looks to be a true centerfield threat in the middle of the defense. These guys are incredibly hard to find, there are only a few good ones in the league. And he still doesn’t have a lot of game experience yet. Lastly, Azeez Ojulari finished 4th in the league among rookies in QB hits (13) and 3rd in sacks (8). I’ve highlighted several times how much he disappeared between those big plays, but there is no denying the strong start to his career. A pass rusher, a left tackle, and a ball hawking free safety all under rookie deals for the next few years is a solid base to stand on as this rebuild moves on.

(2) NYG will have 5 of the first 80 picks in the draft, including 2 in the top 10. We have countless discussions in our future about what they should, and should not, do. I look forward to them if they remain respectful and humble. There is A LOT that will happen between now and then. I suggest everyone stay very open-minded at this moment. Anything and everything are on the table and I likely won’t marry myself to an idea or prospect until April when my final grades are dished out. I will say this to get it all started: I don’t see a QB worth pursuing in the top 10. I think it will be an interesting idea on Day 2. Nonetheless, I am under the assumption Daniel Jones will be the QB without any intra-team competition. This is barring the neck injury keeping him out for good which is still a possibility.

(3) Dave Gettleman is gone. Joe Judge appears to be safe for now. I will go on record now that the season is over saying there is no point in keeping Judge around. This team likely won’t be ready to compete until 2023 at the very earliest. He didn’t earn a thing. I would rather have the new head coach in ASAP, pair him with the new GM, and get this all-time losing culture out of the basement. Keeping Judge around may make the ownership feel loyal, warm, and fuzzy but barring an unlikely miracle of epic proportions, Judge will be out at this time next season. Why delay the inevitable? Why not let the new GM start from scratch rather than move backwards after a year? Ownership needs to do a better job of forecasting than they have over the past decade. Start with the obvious, go from there. The only scenario where I see it making sense is the ideal HC candidate simply not being there yet or NYG ownership not being prepared, which would not be a surprise to anybody. The timing on this is sensitive and there is a very small margin for error.

***Thank you for reading the reviews. See you in April when the draft previews come out.

Joe Judge

THE STORYLINE:
Unless I’m reading the tea leaves incorrectly, the New York Giants appear to be screwed. While rumors run rampant from anonymous sources that “nothing has been decided” by ownership with respect to the general manager and head coaching positions, those who cover the team for a living unanimously believe that Joe Judge will return as head coach of the franchise.

Why?

I have nothing personal against the man. I want him to succeed. But he’s clearly bamboozled John Mara into believing he’s something that is not: a competent NFL head coach.

With a modicum of truth, his advocates will allege that he has been sabotaged by a poor personnel department, injuries, and Covid-related absences. “It’s not his fault! He’s not to blame!”

Bullshit. Joe Judge’s handprints have been all over this team for two years. He has been intimately involved in personnel decisions, perhaps the driving force behind many. Other teams in the NFL have had major injury and Covid-related issues to deal with but they can at least field a competitive, even playoff-caliber, product.

The Giants are averaging 15.7 points per game. More telling is that they have gotten markedly worse as the season has progressed. Since the bye week, the Giants are averaging 10.3 points per game. In the last contest, they scored three points against one of the worst teams in the NFL. In the last two years, a Joe Judge-coached football team has scored 30 points or more only once, and that was in a loss to the Cowboys where the NYG defense scored.

Last year, it was a challenge for New York to score 20 points in a game. Now, it’s a challenge to score 10. This isn’t 1931, it’s 2021. Things are not getting better. They are getting markedly worse.

All of this despite the offseason emphasis being on adding “weapons” such as WR Kenny Golladay (4-years, $72 million), TE Kyle Rudolph (2-years, $12 million), and WR Kadarius Toney (1st round). The result? These three players have ONE touchdown between them! One!

The top passing target on this team is a tight end who everyone wants gone. He “leads” the Giants with just 45 catches and three touchdowns. No wide receiver on this roster has more than one touchdown catch, in other words, the same amount of TD catches as left tackle Andrew Thomas.

Dave Gettleman may be the GM, but Joe Judge has been irrevocable in his support of Daniel Jones as the starting quarterback. He was OK with Mike Glennon as the back-up. He was OK with the state of the offensive line entering training camp. When he decided to fire Jason Garrett, he hand-picked replacement was Freddie Kitchens, who has actually been worse than Garrett. And don’t forget all of the changes he made to the offensive coaching staff in the offseason (Kitchens to senior offensive assistant, Derek Dooley coaching the TEs, two new offensive line coaches, and three more quality control coaches).

While the defensive side of the football has not been as bad, it did not get better in 2021 despite a number of free agent and draft additions that were expected to improve the unit. The Giants have fallen from 12th in yards allowed in 2020 to 20th. More damning is they have fallen from 10th in points allowed to 23rd. The failures at the end of the first half have been well documented. The pass rush has gotten worse (40 sacks in 2020 to 31 this year).

And have the special teams been noticeably different at all with special teams “guru” Joe Judge at the helm?

Joe Judge is what he is: a 10-22 head coach. His .312 winning percentage is better than Pat Shurmur’s (.281) and worse than Ben McAdoo (.464). Ray Handley won more games in two years.

So all we read now is that John Mara thinks Joe Judge is a good coach and should remain with the team another year. Some have reported what many of us have feared, that is, accepting Joe Judge as head coach of the team is a prerequisite for becoming the new general manager. Why? Where is this faith in Joe Judge coming from? It makes no sense. Nothing has gotten better and is clearly getting worse. Judge should have no political capital with this team. None.

Adding to this hot mess is that Joe Judge is beginning to go on long-winded rants defending his teetering regime. The Monday press conference after the 37-21 loss to the Chargers and the post-game press conference after the 29-3 loss to the Chicago Bears were extremely bizarre, overly-defensive, and long-winded affairs that just went on and on and on. Personally, I’ve never seen anything like it. It was almost as if Judge was trying to convince himself that he knew what he was doing. Worse, in some truly pot-calling-the-kettle-black hypocrisy, Judge took shots at Pat Shurmur and his his upcoming opponent Ron Rivera. The latter now has all the incentive in the world to humiliate Judge on Sunday.

We can see the train wreck coming, but we are helpless to prevent it. John Mara is going to keep Judge, hire a new GM mainly based on his ability to work with Judge, but then fire Judge at the end of the 2022 NFL season after the Giants finish dead last in the division again. And the Giants will be stuck with a GM who they may not have gone with had Judge not been the head coach. If John Mara can’t see this, we’re all doomed as fans of this team.

I pray that I’m wrong.

THE INJURY REPORT:

• QB Mike Glennon (wrist – out)
• RB Saquon Barkley (ankle)
• FB Cullen Gillaspia (knee – questionable)
• WR Kadarius Toney (shoulder – out)
• WR Darius Slayton (shoulder/COVID ramp up)
• WR John Ross (knee – out)
• WR Collin Johnson (hamstring – questionable)
• TE Kyle Rudolph (ankle)
• OT Andrew Thomas (shoulder)
• OT Korey Cunningham (COVID ramp up)
• OG Will Hernandez (ankle – questionable)
• DL Dexter Lawrence (personal/COVID ramp up)
• NT Austin Johnson (foot)
• NT Danny Shelton (COVID ramp up)
• LB Lorenzo Carter (illness)