This was called a Legacy Game for the Giants, as on a sun-slashed Autumnal Sunday they donned the traditional uniforms they wore from 1980-99, a span in which they won two Super Bowls.
There were some glory days in those jerseys, unlike the present day gory daze that has the franchise in a depressing and prolonged state of regression.
It was more of the same as Week 9 came and went with the Giants doing a little of this and a little of that and not nearly enough of anything that allows a team to actually win a game.
They trailed from start to finish and never put a serious scare in the Commanders in a routine 27-22 loss at MetLife Stadium that got just a bit interesting late in the fourth quarter.
It is now a four-game losing streak for the Giants (2-7) who are on the fast track to irrelevance, if they aren’t already there.
Their despicable track record in front of their own fans grew even more unsightly, as they are 0-5 at home this season.
They did score a couple of touchdowns, though, and that has been a rarity for them anywhere in the vicinity of the Meadowlands sports complex.
Jayden Daniels is now 2-0 against the Giants as the Commanders (7-2) strengthened their hold on first place in the NFC East and dropped the Giants to 0-4 in their own division.
Daniels became the first rookie quarterback to start and win two games against the Giants since the NFL began tracking such things in 1950.
The Giants trailed 21-7 at halftime and 24-10 after three quarters.
They showed some life and pulled within 24-16 when Daniel Jones broke tackle attempts by Mike Sainristil and Dante Fowler on a determined 2-yard touchdown run with 9:25 remaining.
Head coach Brian Daboll once again opted to abide by the analytics playlist and went for the 2-point conversion — as he did last week in Pittsburgh — and it failed — as it did last week — when Jones found no one open and was stopped short of the goal line.
Down by eight points, a defensive stand was needed for the Giants to make things interesting.
In yet another example of uncomplimentary football, the Giants allowed a third-and-9 conversion, with Daniels finding Austin Ekeler wide open for a 27-yard pickup.
That led to an Austin Seibert field goal with 3:46 to go.
The Giants needed only 58 seconds to go 74 yards, with Jones hitting rookie tight end Theo Johnson on a 35-yard touchdown hookup to pull within five points with 2:48 left.
The Giants went for two and missed.
They needed to get a stop on defense but Olamide Zaccheaus was left unattended and Daniels found him for a 42-yard gain to pretty much seal the deal.
It was a strange game for Jones.
He barely completed a pass in the first half and Daboll appeared scared to put the ball in the air.
Jones heated up in the second half and ended up with credible numbers (20 of 26, 174 yards, 2 TDs) but his defense could not get the Commanders off the field when a stop was needed.
The second series on offense for the Giants went from domination to damnation so quickly that it would have been shocking if it was not so predictably and comically inept.
The Giants kept it on the ground and ran it at will, with consecutive runs by Devin Singletary and Tyrone Tracy of 10, 24, 15 and 10 yards to reach the Commanders’ 29-yard line.
So, on first down, Daboll called for a pass — seemingly a safe screen pass to Devin Singletary.
What Daboll did not consider was that his left tackle, Chris Hubbard, would get obliterated on a pass rush by Dante Fowler and storm in unimpeded on Jones.
Clearly, Jones did not sense the pressure coming from his blind side, as he attempted to dump the ball off but lost control of it when Fowler pummeled him.
It was originally ruled an incomplete pass and correctly overturned after a Washington challenge, giving the Commanders the ball on the Giants’ 31.
An obvious pass interference penalty on Cor’Dale Flott cost 22 yards and Daniels easily hit Terry McLaurin crossing in front of Deonte Banks for a 1-yard touchdown to make it 7-0.
That turnover must have spooked Daboll a few days after Halloween, as having Jones put the ball in the air is often far more trick than treat.
The Giants embarked on a 16-play, 73-yard drive consisting of 13 runs and three passes.
The running plays accounted for 74 yards (the longest gain was a Jones scramble for 12 yards) and the pass plays accounted for minus-one yard.
The drive ended with a pass, though, as Jones found seldom-targeted tight end Chris Manhertz for a 2-yard scoring connection.
It was the second touchdown in five home games this season for the Giants and Jones’ first touchdown pass at home in 672 days.
The Commanders, playing without leading rusher Brian Robinson, made it 14-7 on Austin Ekeler’s 1-yard run.
They made it 21-7 with six seconds remaining before halftime on Daniels’ 18-yard touchdown pass to McLaurin who lost Banks on a double-move, with Banks never getting his head around to see the ball floating over his shoulder.
The Giants had 142 rushing yards in the first half, averaging 6.8 yards per attempt, and yet they managed to score only seven points – largely because Jones was 4 for 6 passing for zero net passing yards.
It looked as if the Giants had pulled within 21-14 with 5:31 left in the third quarter when Jones hit Wan’Dale Robinson in the end zone on a 3-yard toss, but receiver Darius Slayton was called for what seemed to be a dubious offensive pass interference penalty.
That forced the Giants to bring out Jude McAtamney — elevated from the practice squad — for his first NFL field goal attempt and he hit a 31-yarder to pull the Giants within 21-10.
The Commanders responded by marching 57 yards with ease for an Austin Seibert field goal to go ahead 24-10.
