Russell Wilson, Jaxson Dart, Offensive Line

What kind of Week 1 was it for the New York Giants offensively? Brian Daboll, in his opening statement for reporters, searched valiantly for the positives, and came up with this following a 21-6 loss to the Washington Commanders.

“We have to do a better job on the offensive side of the football,” Daboll said. “Players, coaches, everybody. Then the kicking game, I thought we did some good things there, but again, certainly not good enough. Tough game.”

Daboll is right — Graham Geno looked great, even on a 55-yard field goal that drew the Giants within 14-6. But despite some growth by the defense, New York finished Week 1 with the understanding that everyone from Russell Wilson down on the offensive side of the ball needs to improve. What went wrong? More than just Wilson.

The headline out of Daboll’s presser was guaranteed to be that he wouldn’t commit to Wilson as his starter for Week 2. But he made the key point that this loss is not on his veteran quarterback’s shoulders entirely.

“I’ve got confidence in Russell, so we’re going to go back, we’ll evaluate the tape,” Saboll said. “This game isn’t on Russell Wilson. It’s not on Russell Wilson. Want to make that clear. I have confidence in Russell, we’ve got to do a better job all the way around.”

That said: Wilson didn’t help his team rise above the limits of its offensive line play or general lack of offensive spark. He finished 17-for-37, 168 yards in the air, another 44 rushing. It seemed like Washington dared him all day to throw the deep ball, but between the lack of pass protection and inability of the Giants’ receivers to avoid drops, the offense never found a rhythm.

And on the team’s two trips to the red zone, the Giants managed to collect just three points.

“I think the game was simple in the sense that we didn’t convert in the red zone. We had two chances down in the red zone to make it a close game, a really close game. The game was close all the way throughout the whole game, really, to be honest with you. I thought our defense did a good job battling. I thought, for us, when we get down to the red zone and the ball is on the one or two yard line, we got to score. They stopped us; they played well. We got back down there again, and then they stopped us again. I think that changes the complexion of the game tremendously.”

Wilson did not express any concern over the possibility that New York could change quarterbacks, saying that “I just focus on what we can control.” And far more than Wilson limited New York Sunday.

New York was without Andrew Thomas, inactive Sunday and still recovering from last season’s campaign-ending foot injury, along with Evan Neal, who was supposed to provide more coverage at guard after converting this past offseason from tackle. The offensive line, as a result, looked a lot like last year’s unit after Thomas went down.

Malik Nabers, meanwhile, made the best of his opportunities, with 5 catches for 71 yards, but Washington’s defense keyed on him all afternoon, frustrating his ability to make big plays.

“I mean, I did what I could,” Nabers told reporters following the game. “We had some plays drawn up. Defense did a good job of just playing underneath, playing over the top, doing a good job of switching the coverage up. So, we tried to get me in the game as much as possible, but the defense was schemed up well.”

Nor could New York establish its running game at all. Tyrone Tracy Jr. finished with 24 yards on the ground on 10 carries. Devin Singletary and rookie Cam Skattebo were non-factors.

Under different circumstances, this would have been a day to celebrate New York’s defensive progress. The Giants largely held Jayden Daniels in check, particularly after halftime, while sacking him 3 times. Abdul Carter blocked a punt in his first game. Holding Washington to 21 points gave New York every chance to win the game.

But if a team struggles to run the ball or pass the ball, the head coach is left to praise… the kicking game. If Daboll is to avoid a similar postgame next week following a game against the Dallas Cowboys, a lot more than Russell Wilson will need to change.