3 Stats that Mattered in Giants’ 29-21 Week 15 Loss to Commanders

The Giants dominated in so many statistical categories it is surprising that they came out with a loss--or is it?

New York Giants Interim Head Coach Mike Kafka is shown on the sideline during the first half against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, December 14, 2025. | Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Once again, the New York Giants dominated in the stats against their opponent. They had more passing yards, more rushing yards, they ran more total plays, and earned more first downs. Heck, they even won the turnover battle. 

So why in the world did they lose the game? That is always the question when we see the raw numbers lean so heavily one way.

Still, when we look deeper, there are always numbers that seem innocuous but can lead to a team’s demise, as was the case again for the Giants in their Week 15 matchup with the Commanders. 

Let’s investigate the stats that mattered in their 29-21 loss. 

Special Teams Points: Washington 16, Giants 0

There are three phases in football, and although we conveniently forget the third phase until something goes wrong, teams that can execute it pose a bigger problem for opponents. 

Sometimes, when your offense is struggling to find the end zone, you need your special teams to hold you down until you can get it going. The Commanders received that support from their special teams; the Giants did not. 

Washington connected on a 46-yard field goal on the opening drive of the game, then hit a 39-yarder in the second, and another 42-yard attempt as time expired in the first half. 

They also returned a punt for a 63-yard touchdown in the second quarter. 

The Giants had two opportunities to kick field goals and missed both of them. 

The first was a 52-yard attempt on their first possession to try to match Washington’s opening field goal. 

The second was a 51-yard attempt early in the fourth quarter that kept the Commanders' eight-point lead intact. 

Yards Per Pass

The Giants finished with more passing yards than Washington, but it was not as efficient. The Giants finished with 238 passing yards, which is hardly an elite day. 

To get to those 238 yards, they passed the ball 37 times. That is 6.3 yards per attempt. Even at yards per completion, that number is only 11.9. 

Compare that with the Commanders, who passed the ball only 19 times, but finished with 195 yards. That is 9.3 yards per attempt and a massive 19.3 yards per completion. 

Yes, the Commanders did not throw the ball much, but when they did, it had a major impact on the game. 

The Giants had some chances to connect on more big plays through the air, but they were not able to connect. 

Taking advantage of opportunities for explosive plays is a big part of a team’s success, and Washington did just that. 

3rd Down Conversions

Before Week 15, the Giants were converting on third downs 41.1% of the time. If nothing else, it allowed the team to extend drives, win the time-of-possession battle, and keep their chances alive of ending the drive with points. 

In this game, the Giants finished the game converting two of their 12 third downs. That is an anemic 16.6%. Their performance over 10 drives dropped their season average by nearly two percentage points. 

So, despite all the success they had, they left so much more on the field. It makes you wonder what they would have been able to do if they had converted at least three more first-down opportunities.

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