The Washington Commanders went into their Week 11 matchup knowing they needed a win. If they wanted to make a run at a spot in the postseason, they could not lose to a 2-8 New York Giants team just playing out the string with an eye toward 2024.
Coming off a heartbreaking 29-26 loss against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 10, a spirited effort was expected from the Commanders. What we saw instead was a Giants team going into Washington and handling business with relative ease.
The Commanders lost the game 31-19 in a game that will more than likely cost people their jobs in a few weeks. That loss dropped their record to 4-7 on the season, making what was already slim hopes of making a playoff run that much slimmer.
Whatever the reason may be, New York has Washington’s number. They play well every time the NFC East foes face-off, which has been a thorn in the Commanders’ side. On Sunday, Washington outplayed New York in many regards, but it wasn’t enough to get a win.
In the process, the Commanders made some ugly NFL history. Their pass rush, despite no longer having Montez Sweat and Chase Young in the mix, was dominant. They sacked Tommy DeVito nine times, but it wasn’t enough to get a victory. That made them the first team since 1984 to record 9+ sacks in a game but lose by double-digits.
They have no one to blame but themselves for the loss. The Giants didn’t outplay them, gaining only 292 yards of total offense compared to 403 for the Commanders. But, where New York was successful was taking care of the ball.
They committed zero turnovers compared to six for Washington, which was ultimately their undoing. The Commanders held the edge in virtually every other category, but it was not enough to make up for the short fields New York took advantage of on more than one occasion.
The Giants scored 24 of their 31 points off of Commanders turnovers, including a pick-six by linebacker Isaiah Simmons to ice the game late in the fourth quarter.
Want the latest NFL analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click here. Interested in reading storylines and analysis about the NBA? Check out our partner NBA Analysis Network.
