Well, that didn’t take long. One game into the 2025 season, and the New York Giants already look like a team playing for the 2026 NFL Draft. After months of offseason optimism, depth chart retooling, and a quarterback change that was supposed to spark something new, Big Blue laid a big steaming dud on the FedEx Field turf.
The final score — 21-6 — doesn’t even do the disappointment justice. The offensive line was embarrassing. The plays never materialized. And Brian Daboll somehow looked even more lost than he did during last year’s 3-14 meltdown. The defense held its own, but it didn’t really matter. The offense once again couldn’t cash in. It was a disaster, plain and simple.
But as bad as it was, a few players did show up. Most didn’t. So before the G-Men get steamrolled in Dallas next week, here’s a quick look at the two players who deserve credit — and the long list of those who definitely don’t.
2 winners (and 5 losers) from Giants' Week 1 nightmare vs Commanders
Winner No. 1: Brian Burns
There weren't many winners from the Week 1 disaster, but one individual clearly stood out. 27-year-old Brian Burns is here. After being an afterthought in the pass-rushing department, it looks like the seventh-year pro is ready for a breakout 2025.
Burns was wreaking havoc all afternoon. He was beating opposing tackles, living in the backfield, or initiating holding calls seemingly every play. He ended the day with two sacks and two more quarterback hits. Daniels looked pretty comfortable all afternoon, but
Winner No. 2: Abdul Carter's debut
Giants fans didn;t get to witness the Jaxson Dart experience (blessing in disguise with the offensive-line play), but they did get to see their other prized rookie, Abdul Carter. The 21-year-old linebacker was everywhere.
He ended the game with half a sack, one quarterback hit, and three tackles. It was an all-around solid performance, but no play was more impressive than his punt block in the third quarter. It wasn't the best performance, but it was a good debut. He'll need to build on... everything, but he played well enough to deserve some recognition.
Loser No. 1: Evan Neal's comeback story
There might not be a bigger loser for Big Blue than the 24-year-old offensive tack... guar... healthy scratch. In a relatively unsurprising move, the G-Men felt they'd be better off winning the game without the disappointing former top-10 pick playing.
He switched positions earlier in the offseason, but the move from tackle to guard hasn't yielded the results Dabs and Co. wanted, signaling Neal's time in East Rutherford is all but over. The healthy scratch for a Year 4 player is a brutal look. Consider his once-promising comeback story squashed.
Loser No. 2: The rest of the Giants offensive line
It was obvious from the first offensive snap of the game, the offensive line is still a mess. With Andrew Thomas being ruled out, the line was inherently going to struggle, but boy, did they look terrible. The interior line got blown up time and again.
The terrible line play couldn't have looked any worse than on their late second-quarter drive, where they seemingly ran seven plays at the goal line to eventually settle for a 21-yard field goal. The line just couldn't figure out how to utilize any sort of leverage to do anything. Brutal start for a glaring weakness Giants fans already knew of heading into 2025.
Loser No. 3: Preseason scoring encore
Oh, what could have been. It wasn't all that long ago that the Giants were putting up 30-plus points on anyone and everyone. Of course, that was in the preseason, but still... how much different could it be from regular-season action? Apparently, basically everything.
Forget what you thought you knew about this team entering Week 1, because their offensive ineptitude shocked just about everyone. No one was suggesting they'd be world-beaters, but to only score six points? What happened? The offense couldn't get anything going all day, and six points on 231 yards is a joke.
Loser No. 4: Any Giants player wanting to catch a pass
Overall, seven players were targeted, but only six receivers caught a pass on Sunday. The leading receiver was none other than Malik Nabers, but his five receptions for 71 yards left a lot to be desired. Just ask Nabers, who didn't appreciate the lack of offensive production, leading to an altercation with Daboll on the sideline.
The five others who caught a pass totaled 12 receptions for 97 yards. That's garbage. Not a great day to be a Giants pass catcher, that's for sure. Theo Johnson, Darius Slayton, and Jalin Hyatt combined to record one reception for five yards. That's a problem.
Loser No. 5: Brian Daboll
I'll keep this short and sweet. Entering Year 4 with his job on the line and a lot to prove, this was an unacceptable performance from Brian Daboll. There are no excuses. He couldn't have kicked off the season in a worse way. Things gotta change, like yesterday.