What happens now for the 2-7 New York Giants?

First comes a trade deadline, with the Giants likely releasing at least one player, Azeez Ojulari, in exchange for draft capital. Then a trip to Germany to face the also 2-7 Carolina Panthers, who beat the New Orleans Saints 23-22 on Sunday. Next comes a bye week.

Thereafter?

Maybe a different quarterback. Maybe other changes. What we know for sure is that the next eight games will be another year where the Giants just come out ahead in games that don't matter in the standings. There was a lot of reflection in the locker room after the game, including a quiet pow-wow between defensive stars Brian Burns and Dexter Lawrence, which both players declined to talk to the media about.

Next up for us is of course our “Kudos & Wet Willies” review of Sunday’s game. Let's get down to business.

A big compliment to…

Tyrone Tracy – The rookie continued to impress with 16 carries for 66 yards. The Giants' running game probably deserves a lot of praise. The Giants ran 21 times for 142 yards, 6.8 yards per attempt. Daniel Jones had seven carries for 54 yards, Devin Singletary had seven carries for 33 yards and Darius Slayton added an 11-yard run.

Jude McAtamney – Thanks to the kid who made all his kicks in his NFL debut. McAtamney hit a 31-yard field goal and three extra points, getting the Giants through the game without a placekicker nightmare. Good for him.

Chris Manhertz – After losing a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night due to an illegal shift penalty on Malik Nabers, Manhertz caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Daniel Jones on Sunday. It wasn't an easy attack either, as Manhertz had to jump over a defender to do it. The touchdown was just the third for Manhertz, a blocking tight end, in his nine-year career.

Malik Nabers – The rookie caught nine passes for 59 yards in the second half. Nabers has 55 receptions this season. He is the second player in NFL history to collect at least 50 balls in his first seven career games; Los Angeles' Puka Nacua scored 58 points in seven games last season.

Daniel Jones – I know, I know, I know, I know. Jones had no passes in the first half, an oddity that had more to do with the flow of the game than him doing anything wrong. He also recovered a fumble that led to Washington's first touchdown. Overall, however, this could be considered Jones' best performance of the season.

Jones threw two touchdown passes, his first at MetLife Stadium since Jan. 1, 2023, the 2022 season finale. He would have had a third if not for a questionable offensive pass interference call on Darius Slayton on a phantom pick.

Jones managed just 4 of 6 in the first half as the Giants relied on the ground game. In the second half, he completed 16 of 20 yards for 174 yards. He led the Giants on long drives to score on all three second-half possessions, throwing a touchdown pass and running over two Washington defenders to score a rushing touchdown of his own.

Jones ran seven times for 54 yards, showing his usual toughness. He finished the season with a best passer rating of 119.7. In its initial evaluation, Pro Football Focus gave Jones an elite grade of 90.9.

I fully understand that Jones' work over the years wasn't good enough and that his time as the Giants' starting quarterback is almost certainly coming to an end. However, when he plays as well as he did on Sunday, he should be recognized for it.

Wet willies too…

Tae Banks – The 2023 first-round pick didn't have the bounce back the Giants were hoping for from his benching Monday night. He threw two touchdown passes to Washington's Terry McLaurin. The first was a 1-yard slant, a play Banks had previously hit at the goal line. The second pass was an 18-yard pass where Banks bit on an inside fake.

As the Giants' No. 1 cornerback, Banks can't keep up.

defense – On a day where the offense did enough to give the Giants a chance to win, the defense didn't hold up its end of the bargain.

• Three times the defense allowed long attacks on points immediately after the offensive goals.
• After a score from the offense pulled the Giants within five points with 2:48 to play, the defense allowed the Commanders to win the final with 2:48 left.
• There were no sacks and no major pressure on Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels.
• While Banks earned an individual “Wet Willie,” rookie defensemen Dru Phillips and Tyler Nubin each made critical errors. Phillips missed a third-and-18 tackle that led to a first down and Washington touchdown. Nubin admitted responsibility for a wide-open 42-yard catch-and-run by Olamide Zaccheaus on the Commanders' final possession.
• For the eighth straight game, a franchise record, the Giants did not have an interception. They couldn't get to one.

Brian Daboll – I know the analytics say that when you're down two points and have a touchdown to go for it, it's smart to go for two points because converting reduces the deficit to six points and gives you a chance to compete another one to win score. Daboll said based on that analysis, that's how the Giants would approach this situation.

I disagree. If the 2-point conversion fails, which the Giants managed to do in the same situation for the second straight time on Sunday, you'll be in a desperate situation where you'll have to convert on the second 2-point attempt if you do get a chance. The Giants did it on Sunday and failed both times.

I don't believe in chasing points. You can't predict what will happen during a game. In this game, the Giants would have trailed by just three points (27-24) if they had managed to hit both extra points instead of failing trying to score two points. Had they gotten the ball back, a game-winning field goal would have been in play instead of a must-win touchdown being their only chance.

Daboll's timing management on Sunday is also questionable. The Commanders got the ball for the last time with 2:48 left in the game. The Giants had all three timeouts. After a 1-yard run, Daboll called a timeout. He didn't use one until there was 1:46 left. Why not use these timeouts before the two-minute warning? Are you trying to score a three-pointer and get the ball back to your offense with more than two minutes left in the game and the two-minute warning as a timeout?

Kwillies to…

Theo Johnson – The rookie tight end had a 35-yard touchdown catch, the first of his career, and finished the game with three catches for 51 yards. Not bad. The problem is that from the press box it looked like all three targets Johnson didn't call were balls that could have been caught. All were contested or in traffic and none were easy, but if you want to be a great player and your team wants to win close games, some of these plays have to be made.