Wilson Struggles as Giants Fall to Commanders, Daboll Defends QB Amid Growing Questions
Washington — Russell Wilson marked his 200th career start on Sunday, but the milestone came in a 21-6 defeat to the Washington Commanders. Wilson completed 17 of 37 passes for 168 yards while leading the Giants in rushing with 44 yards.
Despite multiple chances to address Wilson’s status for next week’s game in Dallas, Giants head coach Brian Daboll remained noncommittal.
“We’re gonna get home, look at our game. Collectively, we’ve all got to do better,” Daboll said, avoiding a direct answer about Wilson’s role. “I’ve got confidence in Russell. We’ve got to be better across the board—players, coaches, everybody. We’ll evaluate the tape and get focused for Dallas.”
Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, the Giants’ first-round pick, served as the No. 2 QB on Sunday. Dart had impressed in the preseason, averaging 7.9 yards per pass attempt with three touchdowns, while Wilson averaged just 4.5 yards per throw against Washington.
The Giants’ offense struggled throughout the game, generating only six points and 231 total yards. While the performance was an improvement over last season’s 40-0 loss to the Cowboys and a 28-6 defeat to the Vikings in 2023, losses continue to mount for Daboll’s team. Sunday marked his 26th since the start of the 2023 season.
Late in the game, wide receiver Malik Nabers was seen sitting on the bench with a towel covering his face, as Daboll appeared on the sidelines to calm him down.
“I thought we competed our butts off today,” Wilson said. “It was a physical game. We gave it our all on the field.”
Wilson also recovered his own fumble, and an interception was nullified by a roughing-the-passer call on linebacker Bobby Wagner. Yet, the Giants converted only four of 16 third-down attempts.
The team played without left tackle Andrew Thomas, still recovering from a 2024 season-ending foot injury. TruMedia’s advanced metrics from Week 1 show that Washington pressured the quarterback on 42.6% of plays despite sending extra rushers on just 26% of defensive snaps.
Daboll stressed that the loss wasn’t solely on Wilson. “This game isn’t on Russell Wilson. I want to make that clear. I have confidence in him. We need to do a better job all around.”
New York failed to reach the end zone, settling for two field goals and punting six times on nine possessions.
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