3 Takeaways from Giants' Week 11 Win vs. Commanders
The New York Giants came into Week 11 reeling from the loss of quarterback Daniel Jones and two consecutive blowout losses. They left with a decisive 31-19 victory over the rival Washington Commanders.
While it wasn't a perfect game for New York, it was one of the cleaner contests the Giants have played this season. While the team was flagged six times, it didn't have an offensive turnover and tied its season-high in points scored.
At 3-8, the Giants are all but out of the playoff mix, but Sunday's win showed that they can play spoiler down the stretch. Here's what else we learned during the Giants' Week 11 win over the Commanders.
The Giants Have Something in Tommy DeVito
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The Giants will probably look to upgrade the quarterback position in the offseason. Jones didn't play particularly well when healthy this season, and his torn ACL could keep him sidelined at the start of the season.
DeVito might not be a long-term upgrade for New York—when/if they decide to move off of Jones—but he showed on Sunday that he has long-term value for the Giants.
The undrafted rookie out of Illinois finished 18-of-26 for 246 yards and three touchdowns and helped to lead New York to a big divisional win. And while he was going up against a very underwhelming Washington defense—one ranked 28th in net yards per pass allowed—he showed a good command of the offense, nice touch and good accuracy.
DeVito kicked things off with a gorgeous 24-yard touchdown strike to Saquon Barkley in the first quarter, and he never really let up. While the 25-year-old may not be New York's quarterback of the future, he could replace Tyrod Taylor—who will be a free agent in the offseason—as the Giants' long-term backup.
The Offense Needs a Better Pass-Protection Plan
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It's actually a bit surprising that DeVito played as well as he did, given New York's lack of respectable pass protection. The Commanders, who have struggled to pass block themselves this season, were relentless in attacking DeVito throughout the game.
While the Giants did take advantage of Washington's game plan and hit some chunk plays, DeVito was sacked a whopping nine times for 45 lost yards. While the absence of starting offensive tackle Evan Neal (ankle) can't be ignored, pass protection has been an issue for New York all season.
Coming into Sunday, the Giants had allowed 54 sacks in 10 games. Regardless of who is under center in Week 1 next season, New York must make upgrading the offensive line a major priority.
And it would behoove head coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka to find a way to alleviate pressure now—be it through a personnel change or a scheme shift—now. Otherwise, DeVito could soon join Jones and Taylor (ribs) on injured reserve.
Tanking Isn't Part of New York's Plan
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When Isaiah Simmons picked off Sam Howell and returned the interception 54-yard for a game-clinching fourth-quarter score, one thing was clear: New York isn't playing for draft positioning.
The Giants insisted during the week that the Giants were more interested in winning than tanking.
"I know [tanking is] not the right thing to do, and I don't know if that's a real thing," Barkley said, per ESPN's Jordan Raanan. "I can't speak for every other place. Here I don't get that feel at all."
While players never want to tank, we've seen coaches and front offices orchestrate losing for draft positioning before—however thinly-veiled it might be. Given the amount of talent expected to be available near the top of the 2024 draft, it wouldn't be a total shock to see New York follow suit.
However, it was obvious from start to finish on Sunday that the Giants are playing to win and that Daboll is coaching to string together victories. The Giants got one against Washington. Now, they'll try to make it two in a row against the New England Patriots in Week 12.
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