The New York Giants kicked off the 2025 regular season on Sunday afternoon against the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland.
Without All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas, the offensive line struggled and didn’t afford any time for quarterback Russell Wilson to survey the field or get comfortable in the pocket. Thomas’ replacement, James Hudson, was repeatedly victimized as Wilson took a beating.
It felt like deja vu for the Giants’ offense, which had assistant head coach Mike Kafka calling the plays from the sideline after having them stripped a season ago.
Defensively, Shane Bowen’s group played admirably but gave up entirely too many big plays. And while the pass rush was as disruptive as advertised, similar issues persisted on that side of the ball. Mainly, poor tackling.
On a day when former Giants quarterback Daniel Jones lit the world on fire, New York managed just six points and looked as bad as ever. All the good vibes built throughout the preseason are gone, and the frustration has returned.
Here’s how the game played out.
Final score: Commanders 21, Giants 6
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
Giants 0 3 3 0 6
Commanders 7 7 0 7 21
Nail in the coffin
The Giants’ defense stepped up and played much better in the second half, effectively keeping Washington in neutral. That changed midway through the fourth quarter when the Commanders and quarterback Jayden Daniels finally regained their rhythm.
Facing a second-and-15, Austin Ekeler caught a short pass and proceeded to break multiple tackles en route to a key first down. On the very next play, Deebo Samuel Jr. took it in from 19 yards out.
Game.
Commanders 21, Giants 6
Scratch and claw for 3
It took 12 plays and several defensive penalties for the Giants’ offense to gain 43 yards late in the third quarter. Every inch was painful, and it took a 55-yard field goal from Graham Gano to put points back on the board.
Commanders 14, Giants 6
Carter sighting
Although he has been relatively quiet on defense, rookie linebacker Abdul Carter made his presence felt on special teams in Week 1. He stepped up for a blocked punt in the third quarter.
Good news on McFadden
After getting carted off with what appeared to be a significant leg injury, linebacker Micah McFadden went for X-rays. The good news is they came back negative.
Offense is offensive
The Giants received the ball to start the second half, and Russell Wilson connected with Malik Nabers for a nice 11-yard gain to start the drive, and then the wheels came off again. Another sack ended the drive, and the ball was punted back to Washington.
As many things change, so many stay the same.
Confusion into halftime
The Commanders were driving again late into the second quarter, but youth and confusion ultimately cost them. An intentional grounding penalty on quarterback Jayden Daniels led to a clock runoff, ending their chance at scoring.
The mistake cost Washington a minimum of three points, but potentially as many as seven points had they decided to go for it on fourth down.
Commanders 14, Giants 3
Burns limps off
One of the few bright spots for the Giants on Sunday is linebacker Brian Burns, who has two sacks. But with under 30 seconds remaining in the first half, he limped off the field and was getting his right leg worked on by trainers.
Same old offense
Many believed a change at quarterback was all the Giants needed to turn their offense around. That has not been the case in Week 1, as Russell Wilson has been under constant pressure and rarely given a moment to survey the field.
Washington, not fearing anything upfront, has begun rushing (and getting home) with just four.
Meanwhile, out in Indianapolis, former Giants quarterback Daniel Jones has taken a 20-0 lead over the Miami Dolphins into halftime. He has over 200 total yards and two touchdowns.
Commanders making it look easy
Despite linebacker Brian Burns recording two sacks and playing well, the remainder of the defense has been suspect through the first quarter and a half.
The Commanders capped off an eight-play, 58-yard second-quarter drive with a six-yard touchdown run courtesy of Jacory Croskey-Merritt.
In total, the Giants have surrendered 164 yards and have allowed Washington to gain 6.6 yards per play.
Commanders 14, Giants 3
Burns on fire
Linebacker Brian Burns committed himself to becoming elite entering the 2025 season and has recorded two sacks before halftime.
Daboll and Nabers get heated
Before Graham Gano came in and connected on a 21-yard field goal, head coach Brian Daboll and wide receiver Malik Nabers engaged in a heated exchange on the sideline.
Stopped deep
The Giants drove 76 yards on 16 plays, including five inside the Commanders’ 5-yard line, but could not punch it in. After lucking out on a previous fourth down, drawing a hands-to-the-face penalty, head coach Brian Daboll decided not to risk it and sent kicker Graham Gano in.
Gano easily connected on a 21-yard field goal.
Commanders 7, Giants 3
Commanders take the lead
On a second-and-5 from their own 7-yard line, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels connected with tight end Zach Ertz for a touchdown. Linebacker Darius Muasau, who had just replaced the injured McFadden, was beaten in coverage.
Commanders 7, Giants 0
McFadden banged up
Following a tackle on Commanders running back Austin Ekeler, Giants linebacker Micah McFadden stayed down on the field and was wincing in pain. He was swiftly tended to by trainers, who administered an aircast and loaded him onto the cart.
It appears to be a serious injury for McFadden, a budding young star.
Three-and-out
After forcing Washington to punt, the Giants sent their new-look offense onto the field but yielded all-too-familiar results. A first-down run was blown up behind guard Greg Van Roten, and then Mike Kafka called a safe play on third-and-long.
The result? A three-and-out.
Giants start on defense
The Giants won the coin toss and deferred. Washington will start with the football, and New York will receive the second half kickoff.
Andrew Thomas out
As expected, Giants All-Pro offensive tackle Andrew Thomas (foot) was ruled out for Sunday’s game. He had been listed as doubtful entering the weekend, but the team decided to err on the side of caution.
The following Giants players are inactive:
OL Andrew Thomas (foot)
OL Evan Neal
DL Darius Alexander
TE Thomas Fidone II
CB Beau Brade
QB Jameis Winston (emergency QB)
Wilson arrives in style
Veteran quarterback Russell Wilson will start his 200th career game on Sunday in Landover, which will also be his Giants debut. With Jaxson Dart looming, Wilson arrived in style.
Tarp is off the field
After a morning filled with dark skies and showers, the weather has begun to taper off, and the tarp has been removed from the field at Northwest Stadium.
What TV channel is Giants vs. Commanders on today?
TV channel: FOX
Streaming: NFL+ | Fubo (free trial)
The Giants and Commanders play Sunday afternoon in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL regular season, opening an 18-week slate. It will mark the Giants’ debut of quarterback Russell Wilson and the return of Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin.
Streaming options for the game include NFL+ and Fubo, which offers a free trial.
The broadcast crew will consist of Kevin Burkhardt (play-by-play), Tom Brady (analyst), Erin Andrews (sideline), and Tom Rinaldi (sideline).
Listen to Giants-Commanders
Flagship: WFAN 101.9FM
Spanish broadcast: WXNY-FM 96.3 FM
SiriusXM: Channels 232 (home) and 387 (away)
SiriusXM Internet: Channels 823 (away) and 831 (home)
The WFAN broadcast team will be Bob Papa (play-by-play), Carl Banks (analyst), and Howard Cross (reporter).
The Spanish broadcast will air on WXNY-FM 96.3 FM with Nestor Rosario (play-by-play) and Francis Adames (analysis) providing coverage.
Pre- (Giants Gameday) and postgame (Giants Extra Point) coverage will be handled by John Schmeelk and Tiki Barber.
Out-of-market fans can listen to the game on the following affiliate stations:
Albany, NY: WPYX 106.5 FM
Cortland and Ithaca, NY: 96.3 FM (“The Buzzer”) and WYXL-FM 97.3 HD3
Hartford, CT: WPOP 1410 AM, 100.9 FM
Easton, PA: WEEX 1230 AM and 94.7 FM
Syracuse, NY: WTLA 1200 AM and 97.7/100.1 FM in Syracuse
Utica, NY: WTLB1310 AM and 96.5 FM
Rome, NY 1350 AM
Oswego: WSGO 1440 AM/100.1FM
Danbury, CT: WLAD 800 AM
Binghamton, NY: WENE-AM 1430 AM
Giants vs. Commanders start time
Date: Sunday, Sept. 7
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
The Giants and Commanders will kick off at 1:00 p.m. ET at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland. It will be the first of two NFC East matchups between the two teams this year.
Giants tickets
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Giants regular season schedule
Below is the New York Giants’ regular season schedule.
Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 7, at Washington Commanders, 1:00 p.m. ET, FOX
Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 14, at Dallas Cowboys, 1:00 p.m. ET, FOX
Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 21, vs. Kansas City Chiefs, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC
Week 4: Sunday, Sept. 28, vs. Los Angeles Chargers, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS
Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 5, at New Orleans Saints, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS
Week 6: Thursday, Oct. 9, vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 8:15 p.m. ET, Prime
Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 19, at Denver Broncos, 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS
Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 26, at Philadelphia Eagles, 1:00 p.m. ET, FOX
Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 2, vs. San Francisco 49ers, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS
Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 9, at Chicago Bears, 1:00 p.m. ET, FOX
Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 16, vs. Green Bay Packers, 1:00 p.m. ET, FOX
Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 23, at Detroit Lions, 1:00 p.m. ET, FOX
Week 13: Monday, Dec. 1, at New England Patriots, 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN
Week 14: BYE
Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 14, vs. Washington Commanders, 1:00 p.m. ET, FOX
Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 21, vs. Minnesota Vikings, 1:00 p.m. ET, FOX
Week 17: Saturday, Dec. 27, at Las Vegas Raiders, TBD, TBD
Week 18: Sunday, Jan. 4, vs. Dallas Cowboys, TBD, TBD
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