The silver lining amid the dark clouds of the New York Giants’ Week 5 tie with the Washington Commanders is that Big Blue increased its lead over the rest of the division by a half game.
Still, a win would have been nicer.
“I told the guys, ‘Was it a win?’ No. ‘Was it a loss?’ No. It was a tie,” head coach John Harbaugh said after the game on Sunday. “‘How does that make you feel?’ I’m happy it wasn’t a loss, and I’m sad it wasn’t a win. So that’s how I feel. It’s a tie. It’s a heck of a lot better than a loss, but it’s not as good as a win.”
But as with any game, the coaches and players gained additional insight into what they did well and what they didn’t.
For example, the Giants appear to have found the right formula to bring out the best in quarterback Jameis Winston when New York switched to more of a drop-back passing attack.
“It was good, no question. We’ve been talking about some of the tempo stuff,” Harbaugh said. “We’ve been working on that. It’s been part of our system from day one, really. It’s something we built in from the beginning. And it was good to get to it. We’ve been talking about getting to it. We got to it maybe because we had to.
“So yeah, it opened up the offense. It was good to see, and it probably needs to be part of what we’re doing going forward.”
And then there was the “feast or famine” nature of the run defense, which was gouged for 202 yards by the Commanders, the fourth-highest rushing total of Week 5.
“I think we’ve had too many chunk plays overall,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of really good plays, a lot of really good plays in that game where we stuffed the run, which we’re very capable of doing. And then there are a couple of line of scrimmage runs that get out on us that we’re not happy about that can be played so much better.”
Harbaugh said that pre-snap motion is part of the problem.
“Whether we don’t adjust to a motion the right way, we don’t get over in our gaps, we don’t quite come in through the angles,” he said.
“I think sometimes our tackling in the back end is really good. And sometimes it’s not good, especially if it’s spacey. It’s always tough to tackle a really fast ball carrier, especially a scrambling quarterback who can run in man coverage. And that’s what they caught us in.”
Here are three other things we learned from Harbaugh’s Monday video call with the media.
Injury Update: Day to Day
The Giants came out of the game with injuries to three key players: right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor (calf), safety Tyler Nubin (neck), and cornerback Colton Hood (concussion).
“Yeah, the three main guys are going to be day-to-day this week,” Harbaugh said. “They’ll have a chance for the game. We’ll have to see how it goes throughout the course of the week.”
Cornerback Greg Newsome II was also banged up in the game, though the nature of his injury isn’t known. But Harbaugh didn’t see Newsome’s ailment as one that might keep him out of practice this week, saying that the cornerback “was fine.”
Harbaugh did not offer any updates on safety Jason Pinnock, who missed Sunday’s game with a concussion suffered in the win over Arizona. Pinnock is thought to have traveled with the team to Washington, which would suggest he may be further along in the protocol.
Harbaugh also didn’t want to say whether cornerback Paulson Adebo, who now eligible to have his 21-day practice window opened, would be back at practice this week.
Giants Add “Purple Hearts” to Patch System
Harbaugh has implemented a merit-based patch system in which players are recognized for superlative efforts with a patch that’s stitched to their practice jerseys. Previously reported patches have rewarded players for meeting a percentage of offseason program attendance and for having played in the postseason as Giants.
He has added a “Purple Heart” patch to the collection. “It’s one of our awards for guys that are working through injury-type things, that they play, or they come back from,” he said.
He revealed that receiver Malik Nabers received a Purple Heart in Week 1, and offensive lineman Andrew Thomas, who has been battling a groin issue over the last several weeks, was a recent recipient.
“I think he’s doing a really good job of just playing through whatever he’s got,” Harbaugh said.
“Guys have things this time of year. He’s doing a great job. He’s so tough. Got the Purple Heart last week. He’s playing at a high level. I mean, it may be laboring for him, but still the result is better than almost every player in the league at that position.”
Bryan Hudson Remains the Center
Harbaugh confirmed that Bryan Hudson will remain the team’s starting center for the upcoming game against the New Orleans Saints.
Harbaugh, who generally doesn’t like to reveal personnel plans, praised Hudson, who has now started two games in place of John Michael Schmitz.
Hudson has allowed just one pressure in 102 pass-blocking snaps, and is PFF’s second-highest-graded Giants offensive lineman in pass blocking, behind Eluemunor.
Hudson has really stood out in run-blocking, where his 72.3 run-blocking grade is the best among Giants offensive linemen this season.
“He played well in the game the week before, and he played well in this past game,” Harbaugh said. “Things he can do better, but things he did really well, and that’s what we based it on.”
The Giants head coach added that Schmitz is still in the plans. However, Harbaugh didn’t specify whether he meant the offense or special teams, where Schmitz contributed in Week 5 against the Commanders. Schmitz did not play in Week 4 against the Cardinals despite being active.
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