New York Giants Just Proved What We All Already Knew

The New York Giants entered Thursday night's matchup against the Washington Commanders with a chance to all but wrap up the NFC East division title.

They instead fell flat on their face.

The Giants lost 24-21 to a beaten up Commanders team that entered the game with a record of 2-5-1 in what was an absolutely inexcusable defeat for a squad that is a legitimate contender.

But here's the thing: New York isn't a serious contender, and deep down, we knew that all along.

That doesn't mean the Giants can't still make the playoffs. They remain in the driver's seat in the NFC East, as the rest of the division isn't exactly inspiring. But New York's schedule becomes exceedingly more difficult from here on out, and the Giants also just gave the Commanders some life in the process.

Genuinely good teams don't lose at home in situations like this. But in spite of New York's respectable 5-3-1 record, it isn't a good team. Not yet, anyway.

That isn't to say the Giants are bad, but they are likely mediocre. In fact, their point differential is zero, which is the definition of average. They've also played the easiest schedule in the NFL up until this point, which explains their record.

Let's keep in mind that New York has now lost two straight home games to subpar teams. It first happened against the New Orleans Saints in Week 6. Then, Washington (which now owns the tiebreaker over Big Blue, by the way).

The Giants have gotten by on toughness, grit and incredible coaching from John Harbaugh. They nearly did it again on Thursday evening, but poor execution down the stretch did them in.

New York was given plenty of opportunities, too.

After taking a 21-17 lead on a beautiful throw from J.J. McCarthy to Isaiah Likely that the tight end took 66 yards to the house, the Giants picked off Jayden Daniels on the next two Commanders possessions. The result? No points.

Earlier in the game, New York was down 17-14 and driving in Washington territory. Malik Nabers — a week after demanding excellence from his teammates — then fumbled in the red zone, costing the Giants points.

New York also clearly has a kicking problem, with Dominic Zvada missing another one — this time a 33-yard chip shot — in the first quarter.

The play-calling on the final drive was also abysmal.

The Giants are better than last year. That isn't a question. But it's clear that New York still has tons of work to do in order to reach that next level.

Three of the Giants' next four games are against teams that made the playoffs last season. They will also face the Detroit Lions on the road later in the year. And let's not forget New York still has to go to Dallas to face the Cowboys in Week 17.

Things could get ugly for the Giants here, and let's be real with ourselves: even if they hold on and win the division, it will almost surely be due to the ineptitude of the other three teams around them.

The G-Men proved Thursday night that they are exactly who we all knew they were. We just didn't want to say it.