The Giants found something Sunday night, and it didn’t come from leaning on the run game.
For most of the first half against Washington, New York looked stuck. Then the second half turned into a different offense entirely.
Down two scores for much of that stretch in the 27-27 tie with the Commanders, the Giants shifted gears, sped up the pace and went to a no-huddle look with Jameis Winston under center. That change opened the door for their best playmakers to take over.
The biggest winners in that adjustment were Malik Nabers and Isaiah Likely. The Giants’ wide receiver-tight end duo was fed repeatedly once the offense loosened up, and the attack came alive. The 33 combined targets they saw Sunday may be more than the Giants would want as a weekly formula, but the point was hard to miss: the offense moved when Winston was throwing to those two instead of trying to force a run-heavy approach with Cam Skattebo, Najee Harris and Tyrone Tracy Jr.
Likely said the turnaround started with communication at halftime and a clear understanding between quarterback and targets about how to attack coverage.
“Great feedback at halftime. Player dialogue, coaches’ dialogue, and really just getting behind your brother,” said Likely.
“You know, Jameis was open ears. He understood that the job in the second half was to get us back in the game and that’s exactly what he did…Jameis is one of those, when he’s clicking, he’s clicking.
I feel like he showed that fire in his eyes coming into the huddle every time, knowing that when there’s plays to be made, he can make a play.”
The Giants are still dealing with a roster that has been hit hard by injuries. Jaxson Dart is gone for the season with a knee injury suffered in Week 2, and the group has also been without Brian Burns, Calvin Austin and Roy Robertson-Harris, among others. Even so, the coaching staff has kept searching for ways to make the most of what it has.
“We as a coaching staff do a great job of kind of finding our identity in some of these different areas, and we will,” Harbaugh said.
There was also another big decision attached to Sunday’s tie: John Harbaugh’s choice to kick the extra point instead of going for two late in the game. The analytics case pointed toward chasing the win in regulation, but Harbaugh said he wanted to keep overtime in play.
“I think generally speaking, theoretically, you go for two,” Harbaugh said Monday. “Then you see if you have to go for two twice, give yourself a chance to win the game in regulation.
But the way the game was going, I just decided I wanted to put it into overtime. I didn’t want to take the chance on the 2-point conversion.
I thought overtime would give us the best chance. Plus, it’s a road division game, so the tie isn’t the worst thing for the road team.
So, I just feel like all in all, I made that decision to go for one and put it in overtime if it came down to two scores.”
Beyond the offense, there was a reminder of what still has to get cleaned up on defense. Jayden Daniels hurt the Giants with his legs in Sunday’s game, ripping off nine carries for 103 yards and two touchdowns, one from 26 yards and another from 38. Giants defender Carter said the issue came down to discipline in rush lanes.
“We’ve just got to be more disciplined in our rush lanes,” he said. “We talked about it all week.
So honestly, if that happens in the game, it’s on us as a front. We really got to be better at caging him and stopping our rush [to not over pursue].
We’ve got to be better at that next time we see them for sure.”
Still, the offensive side is where the Giants have a real question to answer. One report noted that the second half against Washington may have been exactly the kind of setting Winston likes most, with the game opening up and the passing game taking center stage. Another pointed out that Likely has quickly become one of the league’s most productive free-agent additions through five weeks.
He has four receiving touchdowns, tied for the fourth-most in the NFL and tied for the most among tight ends. His 19 receiving first downs lead all tight ends, and despite Winston’s 57.6 completion percentage, the Giants have stayed afloat with Likely helping hold the passing game together while Nabers continues to find his footing after returning from a torn ACL.
There’s also already some league chatter around how the Giants are using their quarterback room. One report said the team wants to see whether a young, highly drafted passer can be capable of handling backup duties or even filling in as a starter down the line, though not in the immediate future. As that report put it, the expectation is that Jameis Winston remains the guy for now.
That all leaves the Giants with a clear picture after Sunday: when the offense spreads out, speeds up and lets Winston attack through Nabers and Likely, it looks much more dangerous than when it tries to grind through a stagnant run game.
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