The New York Giants felt like they were dead in the water heading into the fourth quarter against the Washington Commanders on Sunday, before a historic comeback got underway.
For the first time in the franchise’s history, Big Blue managed to avoid a loss down 14+ points with eight minutes to go in regulation. The unfortunate part was that it didn’t culminate in a win.
They’re now 0-230-1.
The Giants improved from 0-230 to 0-230-1, which may not sound all that great on the surface, but it’s a lot better than 0-231.
Fans should take a more thankful approach to the outcome of their Week 5 game, just like edge Abdul Carter.
The second-year Giants player said after the game he’s “grateful” for the tie, and with how New York played in the first half, it makes sense.
Abdul Carter ‘Grateful’ For Giants Tie
Speaking with reporters in the visiting locker room after the New York Giants tie, Carter was asked how he felt walking off the field against the Washington Commanders.
“I felt grateful, honestly,” Carter said bluntly. He further elaborated on what went through his mind when Jayden Daniels hit the ground as the clock ticked away late in overtime.
“I’m just shocked, honestly. I seen the clock wind down; there was like two or three seconds left. I’m like, ‘alright, they’re going to get a snap.’ Then I seen they were still laying on the ground. It was like, ‘Oh. Game over.'”
– Abdul Carter on the final play
Carter’s sentiment is likely shared by the millions of Giants fans who were tuned into the Week 5 matchup.
After Cam Skattebo’s near game-losing fumble, it felt like the game was all but over. But Washington was the team to really screw things up in the end.
If head coach Dan Quinn’s reaction was any indication of the game-ending play, that was absolutely not the way things were supposed to go down.
Abdul Carter Credits Giants Coaching Staff
Setting the tie in the rearview mirror, the New York Giants exit Week 5 with a 3-1-1 record, still good for first place in the NFC East. For that, they can at least be grateful.
It’s the best start to a Giants season since New York began the season 4-1 in 2022, and you can certainly credit John Harbaugh and his coaching staff for that.
Carter certainly did after the tie.
“I think a lot of it is coaching and us buying into the coaching. Us being resilient, it came down to the last couple drives of the game; when we had to get stops, we got stops. And that happened up until the end of the game.”
Abdul Carter was asked how much of the Giants’ early-season turnaround is down to the new coaching staff:
Carter himself had a particularly productive outing against the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
The former No. 3 overall pick stuffed the stat sheet, recording five tackles, one tackle for loss, and chipping in one sack on five total takedowns of Daniels on the day.
It wasn’t enough to get the win, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t positives to take away from Sunday as well.
The Giants can hold their heads high knowing they have the right coaches in place to lead them in the right direction.
Giants’ Abdul Carter Gets Blunt After Commanders Tie