4 Commanders who blew it in disappointing tie vs NY Giants

2. Christian Holmes, CB

Holmes entered Week 13 with a respectable 63.2 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus. That grade should plummet after Sunday. Holmes has made some momentum-shifting plays on special teams this season, but he wasn’t ready to play a pivotal role in a rivalry game on the road in a playoff atmosphere.

The 2022 seventh-round pick’s afternoon started by allowing a 50-yard reception to Darius Slayton. The pass was a prayer from Daniel Jones, and and Darius Slayton nudged Holmes in the back as the ball arrived. The contact forced Holmes to lose his balance, which allowed Slayton to make an easy catch.

This chunk play flipped the momentum in New York’s favor, and they unsurprisingly scored a touchdown a few plays later to tie the game.

Beyond this blunder, Holmes was cooked by Isaiah Hodgins for a touchdown that gave the Giants a 20-13 lead in the third quarter. It was admittedly a great route by Hodgins, but Holmes was chasing shadows after the former sixth-round pick stopped on a dime and cut back towards the pylon.

Holmes was ultimately benched for Danny Johnson, but not before he allowed four catches (on four targets) for 73 yards, per PFF.

Need Benjamin St-Juste back for the rematch.