Those are words you probably wouldn't have expected after the Giants' recent loss at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

“The offense played well enough for us to win. They gave us a chance to win and we didn't take it. The defense just got beat up today.”

The author of these poignant, honest words was Dexter Lawrence, defensive tackle, captain and best player for the Giants after the Giants lost 27-22 to the Commanders and fell to 2-7.

You want to bash Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, the fans' favorite piñata, for this loss?

Got it.

Are you trying to point out that Jones somehow had zero passing yards in the first half despite catching four passes, including one for a touchdown?

Be my guest.

You want to point out the Giants' inexplicable and unfathomable offensive ineptitude in their own stadium this season after they scored exactly one offensive touchdown in four games at MetLife on Sunday – and scored a total of 31 points?

Move on, but those paltry numbers played no role in Sunday's result, the Giants' fourth straight loss overall and their fifth loss in five home games in 2024.

The Giants defense lost this game.

Washington (now 7-2) fumbled only twice in the game, which ended with Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels taking three straight kneels as they reached the Giants' 1-yard line with 1:37 left The end of the game and the Giants ran out of timeouts.

So those 27 Washington points could have easily turned into 34 or 30 if Commanders head coach Dan Quinn hadn't compassionately fought off his dogs at the end.

Every time the Giants offense breathed some life into the team, their defense quickly delivered soul-destroying plays and sucked the life out of the team and the stadium.

“(We) gave up some big plays there right before the two-minute (warning) at the end of the half,” Giants head coach Brian Daboll said. “These are game-changing plays we need to make.”

At the end of the first half the chaos really began.

Trailing 14-7, the Giants allowed Daniels to throw a 31-yard pass to receiver Noah Brown that neither Giants corner Nick McCloud nor safety Jason Pinnock could cover or bring down before damage was done.

First Down Commanders on the Giants 44.

“You can’t give up that many explosives,” Pinnock said.

Moments later, on third-and-18 at the Giants 42, Daniels hit receiver Dyami Brown for 24 yards, with nickel back Dru Phillips nowhere near to cover him. From the point where Phillips first attempted to tackle him, Brown had an additional 20 yards of advantage.

It was the only catch Brown made the entire game.

First down at the Giants 18 after the two-minute warning.

And on the next play, Terry McLaurin hit Giants cornerback Deonte Banks for an 18-yard touchdown reception to give them a 21-7 lead with six seconds left in the half.

In the second half, after the Giants cut Washington's lead to 24-16, their defense allowed the Commanders to march 63 yards in 11 plays and hit a field goal to take a 27-16 lead. The killer play in this series was a third-and-8 pass from Daniels to running back Austin Ekeler that no one covered that went 28 yards. Giants safety Tyler Nubin had his own thoughts on the play, saying, “I have to be able to do my job and get (Ekeler) on the ground.”

The Giants defense's final blow of the day came after they cut Washington's lead to 27-22 with 2:48 left.

On second-and-nine from their own 31, Daniels connected with receiver Olamide Zaccheaus on a 42-yard pass play, with Nubin once again the player closest to him (but not much closer than the fans in section 118). That play, which put the Commanders ahead of the Giants' 27th, brought the game to the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter and sealed it.

“We have to get better,” Lawrence said.

“It's a team game and at the end of the day you want to play complementary football,” Giants linebacker and captain Bobby Okereke said. “We didn’t do a great job on defense and holding up our end of the bargain on offense.

“The offense worked well. They scored touchdowns and sustained long drives down the field. We just didn’t answer the bell when we had to leave the field, which gave them the opportunity to put the ball in front.”

The Giants defense entered the game with an NFL-leading 35 sacks and failed to bring Daniels down on Sunday.

“We had no sacks (and) no turnovers,” Daboll said. “So not good enough.”

Nothing was good enough for the Giants this season.

Sunday at home was a sad symbol of this.