Monday Post-Mortem: Opportunity Knocked, Nobody Answered

As Graham Gano’s 58 yard field goal fell short, a sinking reality set in for Commanders and Giants fans, no one was going home with a win. The key divisional matchup for both playoff hopefuls was a chance for separation, instead it settled nothing. Now Washington goes into the bye week with extra time to digest the missed opportunity while New York has to turn around and play the 11-1 Philadelphia Eagles.

Going into this matchup much was being made about its pivotal nature. The playoff simulations showed drastic changes between winning both games, splitting, or losing both. Fans of both the Commanders and the Giants were making playoff cases based on winning the season series, but neither side ever imagined the game ending in a tie. What is perhaps most infuriating for the two fan bases is that the game was extremely winnable.

The first half saw early domination for the Commanders. They hopped out to a 10-0 first quarter lead as quarterback Taylor Heinicke showed off his connection with star wide receiver Terry McLaurin. But then, as we have seen this year with Washington, the offense stalled out. The Giants came storming back in the second quarter and the game entered halftime as it finished, knotted up.

The Giants scoring drive in the first half was particularly frustrating for Commanders fans. It all started with a 55 yard pass from quarterback Daniel Jones to wide receiver Darius Slayton down the sideline. The bomb to start drive was the Giants only completed pass longer than 15 yards the entire day. That play put the Commanders defense, which was stifling New York up to that point, on its heels. Later in the drive, running back Saquon Barkley exploited a massive hole and ran in for a 13 yard score. In what ended up being a 20-20 tie, the deep pass to Slayton that led to 7 Giants points was clearly a decisive play.

The second half started off with more misery for the Commanders as Taylor Heinicke fumbled the ball on the opening drive. The turnover was far from his fault as the left tackle was beaten off the edge and the unsuspecting quarterback was hit from behind just as he went to release the ball. The giveaway gave New York prime field position and just 5 plays later the Commanders trailed by 7. 

This middle portion of the game is so critical in the NFL. Patriots head coach, Bill Belichick, always emphasized scoring at the end of the first half and the start of the second half. The “middle 8” as he called it was where the Patriots dynasty thrived. The Commanders lost this area of the game badly on Sunday and it is what made the game more difficult for them than it needed to be. 

Statistically speaking, Washington was the better team. They had more first downs, more passing and rushing yards, fewer punts, and 13 more minutes of possession. However, none of that matters to the New York Giants. In a year where they have overachieved beyond even the most delusional fan’s dream, being statistically dominated has meant nothing. Head coach, Brian Daboll, has led this resilient team to 7 wins by hanging around and taking advantage of opportunities. It is a formula Washington has used itself this season, but on Sunday it resulted in little separation between the two sides.

For a team to emerge victorious in two weeks time, something will have to change. New York will likely get beat at home next week by the conference leading Eagles while Washington will be able to sit at home and analyze what changes are needed. The offense will need to find more consistency moving the ball while the defense will need to key in on the run. The Giants generate nearly all of their offense on the ground as both Jones and Barkley run the ball 10+ times a game. The QB keeper has especially hurt Washington this year as Marcus Mariota and the Falcons, as well as Justin Fields and the Bears, used it to matriculate the ball down the field in close games.

Today, the NFL announced the next iteration of this game has been flexed into primetime as NBC will air it on Sunday Night Football. The repercussions from the game will determine if the Commanders make the playoffs. A win means you control your own destiny, a loss means you will have to rely on other teams failure to find your own success. How Washington approaches and uses the bye week will be critical in getting a much needed victory under the lights at FedEx Field. I am sure head coach Ron Rivera knows this, but there can be no half measures from here on out as all Sunday’s tie did was kick the can down the road.

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