A continuing series of miscues plagued the New York Giants in their 29-21 loss to the Washington Commanders on Dec. 14.

Continuous bad routes by dwindling wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, two missed field goals by a kicker quickly fading into obscurity, and continued poor play by the defense is allowing the team to slump into the first overall pick. It can be a good thing, given they could have exclusive rights to Caleb Downs or a wide receiver early in the draft, but fans suffered through a lot of pain this season to hopefully achieve that.

My Hottest Take: No Cohesion In The Locker Room

The longer the season goes on, the clearer it gets that there is no leadership on the team anywhere. Dexter Lawrence seems very upset and is almost defeated every time he talks to the media. Brian Daboll’s been gone for well over a month, and the lack of stars on offense has the team in neutral. Mike Kafka hasn’t done a good job trying to right the ship, either, even garnering laughs online for what seemed to be an uninspiring, tin-can pep talk.

On the offense, the only thing they have going for them is the continued success of Jaxson Dart at quarterback. The Ole Miss product has thrown 13 touchdowns and rushed for seven over nine gams, garnering over 2,600 yards from scrimmage to keep the team in the game. It can even be argued that he’s the only thing keeping this team from getting shut out every single week.

The problems really shine on defense. New York should be considered lucky to have the services of Brian Burns on their team, who has 13 sacks and two forced fumbles this season in place of a decent pass-rusher on the line. When looking past Burns, there isn’t really a lot to be excited about, including Lawrence who seems to be having a real tough time stopping running backs.

It really showed against the Commanders, who have been exceptionally dysfunctional this season after a Cinderella run to the NFC Championship game last year. The lack of a leader and harmony in the locker room resulted in arguably the most lifeless performance from the team so far, never mind the closeness of the scoreboard.

What You Need To Know: Mistakes, Mistakes, and Mistakes

We saw a team that has, essentially, given up to the point where mistakes don’t faze them anymore.

Darius Slayton, the longest-tenured Giant on the offense, dropped a critical would-have-been touchdown pass in the third quarter right at the goal line. Sure, Dart took the blame for it, but those drops cannot happen in a game like that, much less against a team with their own issues. Hyatt, on the other hand, ran another bad route that nearly turned into a pick-six if not for an athletic tackle at the end of the play.

As mentioned before, there were also two missed field goal attempts by former Pro Bowl kicker Younghoe Koo. The veteran kicker missed both of his attempts from more than 50 yards out which would have brought the game within one point if he had made both. It also didn’t help the Giants completely missed out on several tackles and looked exceptionally sluggish trying to chase down Jaylin Lane on a punt return touchdown.

There was no fight on the team at all during Sunday’s contest. Abdul Carter finally emerged with a sack and a fumble recovery, but that’s too little and too late. Either the team is just tanking at this point or things were really bad from the start and we’re just seeing the full effects now.

Before You Go: The Giants Might Play Themselves Out Of The First Pick Again

There are three games left in the 2025 NFL season, and the Giants still have a lot of competition for the rights to the first overall pick. Their schedule doesn’t help matters.

Next week, they will play against the Minnesota Vikings, who have been inconsistent at best and awful at worst. Then they play in week 17 against the Las Vegas Raiders, who arguably have the most inept offense anywhere in the league despite Ashton Jeanty in the backfield. Finally, they wrap up the season against the Dallas Cowboys, who are coming off a loss to the aforementioned Vikings but are still in the playoff hunt.

Last year, a surprise win against the Indianapolis Colts pushed them out of the first overall slot to the Tennessee Titans. They, once again, have to compete with them for the slot alongside Las Vegas and even the crosstown Jets. If they win two games, they’re out of contention completely.