Three Plays That Doomed the NY Giants in Week 15 Loss to Commanders

This sequence of series in the second half had pivotal plays that lead to the eventual outcome in the game.

Dec 14, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton (18) reaches for the ball against Washington Commanders cornerback Antonio Hamilton Sr. (34) during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium. | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

The New York Giants dropped another divisional tilt to the Washington Commanders, 29-21 this time, and once again, there was blame to go around. 

Offensively, they were nonexistent in the first quarter, and although they scored a touchdown in each of the three quarters that followed, they also left a myriad of scoring opportunities on the board. 

Defensively, they were a sieve in the first half, and in the second half, they could not make the stop when they needed it most. 

There was a sequence of series towards the end of the third quarter and into the fourth that really doomed any chance this team had of coming back and securing a win. 

Let’s take a look at the three plays that cost the Giants in Week 15. 

Darius Slayton Drops the Touchdown

New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton (18) leaps for a pass from New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart | Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Down 22-14 with the third quarter dwindling, the Giants had a drive moving well down the field. It was fueled by three consecutive first-down passes from quarterback Jaxson Dart to tight end Daniel Bellinger, which had the ball at the Washington 35-yard line. 

A personal foul penalty by center John Michael Schmitz turned what should have been 2nd-and-5 from the 20-yard line after a 5-yard run by Tracy, into a 2nd-and-20 from the 35-yard line. 

On the very next play, Darius Slayton blew past the coverage and was wide open. Dart had a slight delay in throwing it, and when he did, one got the impression that he was trying not to overthrow it. 

Slayton had to slow down and decided to adjust to the pass over his shoulder instead of turning his body to go get the underthrown ball with his hands at the highest point. 

He was able to get the ball into the basket, but he could not control the pass as he went to the ground with a defender on his back. 

This was a ball that I am sure Dart would want to put a little less air under and drive, but definitely one that Slayton is beating himself up over for not catching. 

After a two-yard run play on 3rd-and-20, Younghoe Koo missed a 50-yard field goal that would have narrowed the lead to five points.

Mariota to McLaurin for a 51-Yard Touchdown

Dec 14, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin (17) runs the ball defended by New York Giants cornerback Paulson Adebo (21) to ultimately score a touchdown at MetLife Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

After the missed opportunity to close the gap on offense with a touchdown or field goal, the Giants' defense really needed to force a stop and keep the game within one score. 

It didn’t happen. Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota dropped back and delivered a strike to receiver Deebo Samuel for 18 yards. The Commanders then committed two false start penalties that backed them up to their 49-yard line. 

On his next drop back, Mariota had all the time in the world to survey the field without a pass rusher in sight. He threw to an open Terry McLaurin down the middle. 

Giants cornerback Paulson Adebo reached out and tried to arm-tackle him unsuccessfully, and Dane Belton changed his angle to the receiver instead of coming in and gang-tackling. 

The result was McLaurin walking into the end zone. It was a failure in two areas where the team invested heavily in the offseason, defensive back and defensive line, and it speaks to why they have been unable to limit explosive plays from the opposition.

Denied at the 1-yard line

Dec 14, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) looks to pass during the fourth quarter against the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Down 29-14 early in the fourth quarter, Dart hit a big 42-yard pass to tight end Theo Johnson that got the ball to the 9-yard line. In the next play, he and tight end Daniel Bellinger drew a pass interference penalty, which put them at first and goal at the 1-yard line. 

Instead of running something downhill behind one of the best tackles in the game (Andrew Thomas), they called a quarterback counter to the right. Center John Michael Schmitz got thrown out of the way, and Dart never got a clear path to run through.

The play not only got blown up, but Dart had to come out of the game for yet another concussion check. 

The second down play was another run out of the shotgun, away from Thomas, where the tight ends on the backside let the defenders slant across their faces and disrupt the play in the backfield. 

Third down was under center from the five. They predictably went play-action, with the defense immediately getting pressure on quarterback Jameis Winston, who had to get the ball out of his hands quickly to a covered Wan’Dale Robinson. 

On fourth down, Dart returned to the game and tried to find Robinson in the end zone, but the pass was incomplete, and the Giants came away with no points. 

This was a poor sequence of plays, and it showed a lack of understanding of the value of using your best run blockers. If you are going to run four plays, why not four straight downhill runs behind Thomas?

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