3 reasons Commanders weren’t able to beat the NY Giants in Week 13
2. The defense looked human
The defense, which has been the catalyst for the Commanders’ midseason surge, looked human for a brief moment today. It came late in the second quarter and into the third. This occurred when New York could do whatever it wanted to on the ground.
Daniel Jones amassed 71 yards in total on the ground. In the first half, Saquon Barkley had moments where he made impactful moments. On his 14-yard touchdown run, Washington’s defense opened a lane for him like the Red Sea.
And with Washington in its dime package late in the first half, Brian Daboll took full advantage, gashing Washington all the way down the field en route to tying the game 13-13 heading into halftime.
Although being put into a losing situation by the offense, they didn’t do much to stand in the way of New York scoring early in the second half either. The defense missed Benjamin St-Juste today, as Christian Holmes gave up a 55-yard completion, and a touchdown later.
Other than that, the Commanders’ defense was pretty stout. They kept the Giants scoreless from early in the third quarter until the clock struck zeroes in overtime. However, it was that brief stretch of the game, where they were missing assignments, missing gaps, and their seventh-round corner was getting picked on that sunk them.
The Giants have scored on four straight possessions including that gift-wrapped TD on a 20-yard drive. #Commanders defense has not been as dominant as normal. They've typically bailed the offense out after turnovers. Not that time. Washington trails for the first time all day.
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) December 4, 2022
Ultimately though, they only surrendered 20 points. So, only so much blame can be put on the Commanders’ defense. It ultimately comes back to Washington’s offense being unable to be consistent over the course of four quarters.