The Giants.com crew members give their takeaways from Sunday's loss to the Commanders.
John Schmeelk: Abdul Carter had a breakout performance with four pressures, a sack, three tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. The Giants used his versatility to their advantage as he generated pressure in a variety of ways. He beat right tackle Josh Conerly with a speed rush for a strip-sack. He won in the middle of the line as a stand-up rusher, where he used his quickness. He had a cleanup pressure after initially working against left tackle Laremy Tunsil. He got another on a T-E twist, coming in around a diving defensive tackle. He also forced a holding penalty on Conerly with another quick win with his speed.
In the run game, he set the edge against Tunsil and was able to wrap up Jeremy McNichols for a tackle for loss. He beat the center as a stand-up inside linebacker on a draw play for a tackle for loss. Then he was the second guy in after Tyler Nubin had a hit in the backfield, stripping the ball and recovering the fumble to give the Giants one more chance to tie the game.
It was a great performance for Carter. Much of the chatter after the game was about him coming in early all week to do extra film work and how that helped him succeed in the game. Dexter Lawrence had a great quote that should summarize everyone's approach to Carter's performance: "Greatness is doing it over weeks."
Now Carter has to do it again. That's what great players do, and Carter will have to continue this approach if he wants to blossom into the superstar that everyone knows he has the talent to be.
Dan Salomone: There have been 14 punt return touchdowns in the NFL this season (entering Monday Night Football). The Giants have allowed two of them.
Both came in consecutive games â off the foot of two different punters.
Before the bye week, New England's Marcus Jones returned one 94 yards for a touchdown, the second-longest in the league this season. On Sunday, Jaylin Lane broke a 63-yarder as part of a 19-point second quarter for the Commanders, who capped the first half with a touchdown (missed extra point) and field goal in the final 65 seconds. Instead of weathering the storm and taking a 13-7 deficit into the locker room, while knowing they would receive the kickoff to start the second half, the Giants fell behind 22-7 due to that sequence.
The Giants, who have already used three different kickers this season, played their second punter of the year on Sunday. The left-footed Jamie Gillan was unable to suit up due to a left knee injury. The Giants called up veteran Cameron Johnston days after signing him to the practice squad.
Johnston also took over Gillan's holding duties for Younghoe Koo, who missed both of his field goal attempts from 52 and 51 yards.
Special teams might not be the most important phase of the game, but it is still an important phase of the game. Personnel turnover is part of its nature, but from 2017 through 2022, the Giants used just one kicker and one punter each season. Starting in 2023, they have used a combination of five different players each time around. And 2025 isn't done yet.
Matt Citak: Considering where the Giants are in the season, one of the most important parts of this final stretch of the 2025 campaign is the growth and development of their young players. Two in particular stand out to me in this regard. One is Abdul Carter, whom John already discussed. The other is obviously Jaxson Dart, who put together another strong, albeit not perfect, performance against the Commanders.
Dart struggled to get things going in the first half, as he completed just seven of his 16 pass attempts for 71 yards and in interception. But one of the biggest signs of growth from a young player, especially a quarterback, is his ability to bounce back, which is exactly what Dart did in the second half. In the second half, Dart went 13 of 20 for 175 yards and two touchdowns. He led the Giants down the field for their two second-half scores, another drive that resulted in a missed field goal, and a fourth drive that ended in a turnover on downs near the Commanders' goal line. While the Giants scored 14 points in the second half, that number easily could have been a lot higher. On top of his production, Dart did a good job of protecting himself when running with the football. Dart got down on most of his nine rushing attempts without subjecting himself to any big hits, an encouraging sign of growth from the young quarterback.
"I thought he did a nice job," interim head coach Mike Kafka said Monday about Dart protecting himself in Week 15. "He slid a few times. ⊠In terms of out in the field scrambling, it's not like he's taking guys head on anymore. He's picking an edge and at least picking a soft edge and trying to get himself down and protect the ball, which is most important, protect himself as well. I thought he did a nice job this week doing that."
Through the first nine starts of his career, Dart has accounted for 20 total touchdowns (13 passing, seven rushing) versus six total turnovers (four interceptions, two fumbles lost). He has thrown for 1,802 yards while adding another 400 on the ground (5.7 yards per carry). Since 2000, he is one of just four quarterbacks across the NFL who have thrown for 1,800+ yards and rushed for 400 or more yards in their first nine starts, joining Jayden Daniels, Jalen Hurts, and Robert Griffin III.
When you add 20+ total touchdowns to the criteria, Dart lands in a tier by himself. With three games remaining, Dart has a good opportunity to close out his rookie campaign with a strong final stretch going up against some struggling defenses. While these last games may not have any playoff implications, a dominant run could help Dart's chances of earning the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.
