Report Card: How we graded New York Giants in loss vs. Commanders - Giants Wire

The New York Giants were poised to take a commanding lead in the NFC East on Thursday night at MetLife Stadium, but the football gods and the Washington Commanders had other ideas.

The Giants let three leads slip away and made multiple fatal mistakes in a 24-21 loss to a Commanders team intent on saving their season.

ESPN's Jordan Raanan summed it up quite neatly.

Here's how we graded the units in this game.

399 yards of total offense (293 passing, 116 rushing) and 6.2 yards per play wasn't a bad output. They went 4-for-12 on third downs and 1-for-1 on fourth. They were 2-for-4 in the red zone.

Quarterback J.J. McCarthy looked more comfortable in the offense, throwing for 293 yards on 23-of-36 passing with one touchdown and an interception for an 86.9 rating. He also rushed for 34 yards on six attempts. McCarthy held up well against the blitz. As per Next Gen Stats, "he was blitzed on 50% of his dropbacks in the second half against the Commanders, up from 28.6% in the first half. McCarthy completed 8 of 14 attempts against the blitz for 155 yards, a touchdown and an interception."

Running back Cam Skattebo compiled 122 yards from scrimmage (78 rushing, 44 receiving) and scored two touchdowns after missing last week with a hamstring issue. Tight end Isaiah Likely balled out again with nine receptions for 127 yards, including a 66-yard touchdown.

Rookie wideout Malachi Fields racked up 62 yards on three receptions, but Malik Nabers was held in check again. He caught just five of seven targets for 44 yards and fumbled deep in Washington territory.

After Likely scored the go-ahead touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, the offense went flat on their final three possessions. Two three-and-outs and a game-sealing interception deep downfield.

Despite lacking a consistent strategy to defend Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, the defense played a solid game. Daniels' mobility and improvisational skills won out in the end, though. He is now 4-0-1 in his career against the Giants.

Rookie linebacker Arvell Reese was a force again, leading Big Blue with 13 total stops. Micah McFadden added 10 tackles, defensive tackle Shelby Harris had the only sack, and Ar'Darius Washington and Jevon Holland both had interceptions late that kept the Giants in the game.

It came down to the last minute, when Washington scored the winning touchdown on a three-play, 71-yard drive aided by a 33-yard pass-interference penalty on Giants cornerback Deonte Banks.

Dominic Zvada had another rough night. He missed a 33-yard field goal in the first quarter, and it loomed large all night. He also had an illegal kickoff (out of bounds), which is practically unheard under the new kickoff structure.

Punter Jordan Stout has one of the strongest legs we've seen in years. He averaged 44.1 yards on five punts with a long of 68. But...his 12-yard punt in the fourth quarter proved costly. Instead of burying the Commanders deep in their own territory, they took possession at their own 37 with 1:46 remaining and were able to go down the field for the winning touchdown.

Greg Desrosiers averaged 24.7 yards on three kickoff returns, and Charlie Jones looked shaky again fielding punts.

The staff has been great when it comes to preparation. The Giants have been ready to play every week, and the effort has not waned once.

It's during the game that the coaches seem to be a little inconsistent. Granted, they are still figuring out what they have and how to use it, but after nine games, things should be getting a bit clearer.

Nothing defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson tried against Daniels seemed to work. The back-to-back interceptions in the fourth quarter were helpful, but overall, they were late to the party trying to keep up with him.

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