Defense is actually so sad to watch rn
I was about to say that, for once, the $40 million dollar beneficiary didn't have a major hand in losing the game for the Giants. Then I recalled that his fumble in the 1st quarter led directly to 7 points for the Commanders, and was pretty much the scoring difference in the game. Kudos to the Commanders who played through the whistle on a possible turnover.
Neither defense was lights out, but the Commanders were better in spots where they needed to be. Credit to the Giants for make adjustments and only allowing 6 points in the 2nd half, but they dug quite the hole in the 1st half helped by the PI right after the turnover, and allowing Washington to convert the 3rd and Mile on the drive right before halftime. Both lapses led to touchdowns.
The question about kicking is a good one. The 1st XP (33 yards) and 31 yd FG notwithstanding, the only thing I can think of is that the Giants don't have much faith in their 3rd kicker of the season. I would have also thought they would have called for an onside kick with 2:48 to go. It didn't make sense to me to go for 2 at 24-16, but because they did, why not run it? The Giants were gashing Washington's run defense all afternoon. In both instances, they called for passes on both attempts. At least the Giants didn't give up a TD on the ensuing possession, which would have ended the game for all intents and purposes. OTOH, the field goal didn't really make it it any easier.