Giants fall to Commanders, 21-18

WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT THE DEFENSE

Rookie nickel cornerback Dru Phillips made his presence felt from the very first snap, a tackle for loss on Pro Bowl wide receiver Terry McLaurin. Phillips, who forced a fumble on his first play in his NFL debut last Sunday, later sacked Jayden Daniels as the Giants got to the rookie twice on the opening drive, which spanned 64 yards on 16 plays and lasted nearly 10 minutes. The Giants, however, were able to hold them to a short field goal in the red zone.

Overall, the Giants sacked the second overall pick five times: Phillips (1.0), linebacker Micah McFadden (1.0), safety Jason Pinnock (2.0), linebacker Bobby Okereke (1.0). The defense finished the day with 10 tackles for loss and seven quarterback hits.

Washington, which gained 215 yards on 35 carries, had scoring drives of 16, 10, 14, nine (three times), and eight plays that amounted to just 21 points on seven field goals.

A major tenet of Shane Bowen’s defense is holding up in the red zone, which the Giants did on Sunday. Washington was held out of the end zone on its six trips inside the 20-yard line.

Jeff Driskel replaced Daniels for one play with 6:23 left in the second quarter after the young QB took a hit from Phillips and safety Tyler Nubin, a fellow rookie.

A week after Sam Darnold completed his first 12 passes against the Giants, Daniels was good on his first 10 attempts for 71 yards.

Cornerback Nick McCloud (knee) and rookie inside linebacker Darius Muasau (knee), who both started for the Giants in Week 1, were ruled out on Friday’s final injury report.

Outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen, who underwent surgery this week for a fractured leg, did not accompany the Giants for Sunday’s game. His role on the sideline was assumed by defensive assistant Ben Burress.

On Monday, Carter Coughlin (pectoral) was placed on the practice squad/injured list, while Curtis Bolton, another linebacker, was signed back to the practice squad after being released last Saturday.

The Giants elevated outside linebacker Tomon Fox and inside linebacker Ty Summers from the practice squad (standard elevation) for Sunday’s game.