Studs and duds from Giants’ Week 11 win vs. Commanders

Nose tackle Dexter Lawrence looks like a man among boys this season. In Week 7, he dominated Commanders center Nick Gates, which ultimately led to his benching. After Sunday’s game, Washington may go back to Gates because Tyler Larsen was completely overwhelmed. Even when he had help, they were no match for Sexy Dexy. He finished the game with four tackles (four solo, one for a loss), one QB hit, one sack and two passes defensed. He had at least five pressures.

The return of Justin Pugh has been a great story and he’s been a calming presence for the Giants’ offensive line. However, he (and the remainder of the iOL) were soundly beaten in Week 11. Although many of the sacks were on the quarterback, Pugh struggled mightily in pass protection and as a run blocker.

After a few weeks of nearly invisible play, linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux showed up against the Commanders. When does he not? Thibs does some of his best work against Washington and Sunday was no different as he recorded five tackles (three solo, two for a loss), three QB hits, two sacks, and a pass defensed. Some of those, including a third-down sack and a touchdown-saving tackle, were quite timely.

The Giants recorded six turnovers on the day and it could have been seven. Safety Jason Pinnock made a great read to undercut wide receiver Terry McLaurin and had an interception literally in his hands. But it went through them, bounced off his chest and hit the ground. It was the easiest interception opportunity he’ll ever have and he dropped it.

Before exiting the game with an arm injury, wide receiver Darius Slayton was finding some of the greenest zones of his entire career. Even when Tommy DeVito couldn’t get him the ball, Slayton was wide open. It was a persistent theme on the day, resulting in four receptions on five targets for 82 yards and one touchdown. And the shake and bake on that touchdown? Very impressive.

Cornerback Deonte Banks has fallen off in coverage but that’s not his most glaring issue. His tackling is subpar at best and he’s all but given up on attempting to wrap up. He had a chance to stop Commanders quarterback Sam Howell short of the goal line in the second quarter but completely whiffed with a shoulder attempt.

The stat line put up by rookie Tommy DeVito was wildly impressive — 18/26 for 246 yards and three touchdowns. It looks beautiful but his performance was much more of a mixed bag. He deserves credit for what he did but there’s no denying that he contributed heavily to the nine sacks allowed, missed multiple wide-open receivers, held the ball entirely too long and twice ran the incorrect play. Still, he tossed three touchdowns and picked up a win. Forget about it.

CB Nick McCloud
LB Bobby Okereke
WR Wan’Dale Robinson
RB Saquon Barkley
LT Andrew Thomas
LB Micah McFadden

TE Daniel Bellinger
OL John Michael Schmitz
OL Ben Bredeson
DL Rakeem Nunez-Roches
LB Jihad Ward
RB Matt Breida
LB Azeez Ojulari