The New York Giants played another close game this past Thursday night, losing 24-21 to the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium. It was the seventh time in their nine games this season that the outcome was decided by one score or less.
In games like these, every play gets magnified, and the "woulda, coulda, shoulda" police come out with their knives sharpened.
One play being revisited is the Giants' final offensive play. The Giants were down 24-21 and faced a third-and-10 on Washington's 48 with 34 seconds remaining.
Instead of trying to get a first down and inch closer to a possible tying field goal, quarterback J.J. McCarthy went for broke. He fired a pass deep down the middle of the field toward wide receiver Malik Nabers. Commanders defensive
back Rasul Douglas intercepted the ball on the 7-yard line, effectively ending the game.
The questions began immediately. Why didn't McCarthy check down? Why didn't Nabers make a better play on the ball?
I thought the criticism of Malik Nabers was harsh on this play, at first. The pass is a bit off target because the QB was hit as he threw.
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano) November 13, 2026
But it depends on how Nabers wants to be judged. It’s a tough catch for a WR.
An elite WR has to make it, though. pic.twitter.com/bQp0a7iDfX
"I mean, talk about the play. I mean, seeing the ball go up at the time, didn't really see him or where he was, so I'm not really aware of that," Nabers said on Friday in regard to Douglas' location. "My head is looking up at the ball, even though he was driving on the ball. So, just seeing how high the ball was and just waiting for it to come down and made a jump to catch the ball and then got hit and then he made a play."
McCarthy knew the questions and criticisms were coming.
"I'm sure you could look at the tape, and we're gonna be sitting there disappointed," McCarthy said after the game. "What if, could've done this, but my thought process was pop it up to my playmakers. Have them go make a play. Could have bought more time with a little bit more depth. But at the end of the day the thought process was, give it to one of my guys and have him go make a play."
In Nabers' defense, it was a fine play by Douglas, which raises the question of why McCarthy took a deep shot instead of trying to keep the drive alive with a shorter pass. Nabers, who had an off game with just 44 yards on five catches and lost a costly red-zone fumble, was a bit critical of the decision. He didn't feel like he should shoulder the blame all by himself.
"As far as that play and in the ending of the game, I’d say we will be better on just finding a better situation on not trying to score points as quickly as we were, but just make smart decisions on what we want to get to after seeing the cover zero that it was giving us at the moment. So, trying to just get the ball out fast instead of trying to create a home run ball. So, you just got to be better in the situation, and that's really all," he said.
The bottom line is they took a shot and missed. It happens to the best. These two have just a few games together under their belt. They're still working out the kinks.
In the end, it was a lesson learned. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Next time, that play might click. They shouldn't limit themselves, and onlookers need to realize that. These are young players who want to win badly. Let them ball.
The pass isn't called a "50-50 ball" for nothing.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants' Malik Nabers no fan of J.J. McCarthy's end-game decision-making
