3 reasons Commanders weren’t able to beat the NY Giants in Week 13

Up 10-0 after the first quarter, the Washington Commanders seemed in full control en route to their seventh win in eight games. Before the halfway point of the second quarter, however, the Giants had tied it up. And both times would be engaged in a close battle the rest of the way.

And ultimately, neither would emerge victorious. Both teams left with a rare tie in the NFL. If you watched the coaches and the players walk off the field, be glad that you are not alone in being confused about how to feel.

Ultimately, it is better than a loss. However, Washington had multiple chances to put this one away today, and that fact will sting for a while. In a matchup of two teams that have similar strengths and weaknesses, it is fitting the first matchup ended in a tie.

The one in two weeks could prove to be even bigger, though. Here are three reasons the Commanders did not emerge from the Meadowlands victorious today.

3 reasons the Commanders didn’t beat the Giants in Week 13

1. The offense wasn’t good enough… again.

Winning has masked the offensive woes but today they were too much to overcome. Some will blame Taylor Heinicke. Others will blame the offensive line’s up-and-down play. And others will blame Scott Turner.

All three deserve the blame. Taylor Heinicke has the borderline player-personality disorder. He can be one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the NFL at times. And then other times he will be inaccurate, un-poised, and prohibited for the offense.

Incredibly, the “who is this guy?” version of Taylor Heinicke typically appears in crunch time like today. On 4th & 4, with the game on the line, Heinicke rolled to his left and placed a pass perfectly into Curtis Samuel’s breadbasket. Later, Jahan Dotson would rattle off an impressive after-the-catch display on his fifth touchdown of the year, tying the game 20-20.

That version of Taylor Heinicke is awesome. If only Washington could bottle that version up and unleash it at a consistent rate for four quarters. Because before that Heinicke was inaccurate, lacking zip on his passes, and a sitting duck in the pocket.

Some of that isn’t his fault. The offensive line had its worst game in a number of weeks, as Heinicke was sacked five times, hit 10 times, and pressured on a number of other occasions. Coincidentally this occurred when Washington was forced to play from behind. One thing became crystal clear: Washington isn’t a team built to play from behind.

Scott Turner deserves blame for the inconsistency of the passing game, too. Taylor Heinicke attempted 41 passes today. He hasn’t attempted over 30 since the Colts game. Sure, that stat is a bit inflated given the way the game unfolded, but Turner didn’t do much to set Heinicke up for success.

He repeatedly drops Heinicke back behind five-man protections with a weaker offensive line. He rarely uses Heinicke’s legs to add a wrinkle to the offense. Washington’s running game remains elite, with Robinson mailing in another awesome performance (22 carries, 96 yards).

However, the lack of a consistent passing attack, despite having the trio of McLaurin, Dotson and Samuel is frustrating. Led by its ground game, Washington has to be perfect on offense. A penalty or a negative running play practically dooms them, as their passing attack can rarely dig them out of those situations.