Giants Report Card: Lost Opportunity Against the Commanders

Lost opportunity. That about sums up the New York Giants’ 24-21 loss to the Washington Commanders on Thursday night.

The Giants had a chance to bury Washington’s 2026 season and further pad their hold on the NFC East ahead of a very difficult slate of opponents that begins next week with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Instead, the Giants threw it away, showing they’re still not ready for primetime exposure.

Let’s get into the unit grades for the week.

Offense: C

The Giants offense did a few things, but it wasn’t enough. Cam Skattebo was good, rushing for a team-leading 78 yards on 18 carries (4.3 average), but what was he thinking on that fourth-down tush push when he stayed in his stance for nearly two seconds before finally remembering to step up and help?

Tight end Isaiah Likely had another big game with nine catches for 127 yards and a touchdown, giving him a new career high of seven touchdowns in a season.

And J.J. McCarthy was even passable with a 23-of-36 showing for 293 yards and six carries for 34 yards.

But there was also a lot of bad that outweighed the good. Start with the 33.3% third-down conversion rate.

Throw in a miserable showing by receiver Malik Nabers, who had five receptions for 44 yards. He not only lost the first fumble of his career but also failed to try to break up the game-sealing interception by Commanders defensive back Rasul Douglas, then ducked out of the postgame locker room.

In the end, it wasn’t enough for the Giants offense despite gaining 399 yards and averaging 6.2 yards per play.

Defense: B

Nov 12, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants cornerback Dru Phillips (22) and New York Giants linebacker Arvell Reese (52) take down Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler (30) during the first half at MetLife Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The safeties came to play this week, as both Jevon Holland and Ar’Darius Washington delivered key interceptions, and rookie Arvell Reese was once again a tackling machine, leading the defense with 13 tackles.

But for the second game in a row, Donte Banks failed to turn around to look for a ball deep downfield and was called for pass interference, which helped the Commanders win.

The pass rush was also missing in action, with two quarterback hits and a lone sack by defensive lineman Shelby Harris.

Special Teams: F

New York Giants kicker Dominic Zvada's kicking struggles returned. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Dominic Zvada missed his first and only field goal attempt of the night, a 33-yarder that went wide left. The attempt came from the right hash, and we’re sorry, but if this young kicker can’t make field goals from either hash, regardless of conditions, then this team really needs to find someone who can.

Sticking with Zvada, he had a kickoff go out of bounds in the fourth quarter, gifting the Commanders excellent starting field position on their own 40-yard line. Thankfully, Holland’s interception snuffed out that scoring drive.

And the usually reliable Jordan Stout saved his worst punt of the night for last: a 12-yard lame duck that went out of bounds at the Commanders’ 29-yard line. Washington then mounted a four-play scoring drive for what was the game-winner.

Lastly, let’s talk about the return game. Punt returner Charlie Jones let a short punt bounce and roll backward, losing about 20 yards of field position in the process. Kickoff returner Gregory Derosiers showed no aggression on kickoffs and had a fumble to boot, though luckily the Giants recovered it.

Altogether, it was the worst showing of the season for the Giants’ special teams on a night when they needed this third phase of the game to step up.

Coaching: C-

We didn’t like the final series, in which the Giants, with two timeouts left, decided to pass instead of run. There was plenty of time to get the ball into field position, and the running game had been working well for the Giants, so why not stick with it?

The only reason we can think of is that they wanted to get into scoring position quickly and make things easier for their rookie kicker so they could play for the tie.

That said, those last two pass plays went to the right, which would have set up a field goal on the troublesome right hash if they’d gotten close enough. It made no sense.

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