LANDOVER, Md. – As Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Glory Days’ played over the ceiling speakers, Brian Daboll took the podium at Northwest Stadium Sunday with a defensive posture and – when his favorite questions or reporters came his way – an icy glare. Naturally, he faced an inquiry about whether he is concerned about his job security, because that is what’s at stake now after this avoidable 21-18 road loss to Washington to drop the Giants to 0-2. “I’ve done this for a long time,” Daboll said. “My focus is on our football team.” The sand is slipping through the hourglass, though, perhaps not just for Daboll but for GM Joe Schoen, too – this entire regime. Their defense, with a new coordinator in Shane Bowen due to last year’s dysfunctional operation, allowed 215 yards rushing. And the Commanders, quarterbacked by rookie Jayden Daniels, never punted. Not once. Washington had the ball for 37 of the game’s 60 minutes and converted all seven of their drives into Austin Seibert field goals, including a 30-yarder at the buzzer. Pass rusher Brian Burns was still in his uniform after the game. “Pissed,” he said of his mindset. Burns said the Giants’ “competitive stamina” needs to improve, and they have to stop beating themselves. “When you shoot yourself in the foot, you’re f—ing yourself,” Burns said. The icing on the cake, however, was a confounding decision by Schoen and Daboll not to activate backup kicker Jude McAtamney once kicker Graham Gano (groin) popped up on Saturday’s injury report. Gano was ruled out with a hamstring injury after chasing Austin Ekeler on a 98-yard opening kickoff touchdown that came back due to a holding penalty. Daboll’s initial defense of leaving punter Jamie Gillan as his only other option behind Gano included this gem: “He didn’t hurt his groin. He hurt his hamstring.” The Giants’ third-year head coach took responsibility for the decision. “All the decisions that are made are mine,” he said. When asked to clarify if Schoen and Daboll both played a part in that decision, though, Daboll said yes, “it’s collective.” It’s hard to believe they could make this mistake twice with Gano, including last year’s decision to play him on an injured knee that required surgery and led to two costly misses in a catastrophic loss to the Jets. “Feel bad for Graham, feel bad for us, but no excuses,” the coach said. No. There are no excuses. And it’s hard to imagine the Giants won’t have a completely new regime in 2025 after this. Who are they going to beat if they can’t defeat a rookie QB and one of the worst defenses in the NFL in Washington? Cleveland on the road next Sunday? Dallas at home on Thursday Night Football in Week 4? The Seahawks in Seattle in Week 5? Bowen’s defense didn’t allow a touchdown, in part due to hustle plays by safety Jason Pinnock and edge Kayvon Thibodeaux. But the Commanders also false-started five times in the red zone. Dan Quinn’s team has a bit of talent, and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury called some good plays at times. But they were not a disciplined or impressive team, outside of running back Brian Robinson Jr. (17 carries, 133 yards, 7.8 yards per rush) and tight end Zach Ertz (four catches, 62 yards). Daniel Jones’ offense scored three touchdowns, including a Devin Singletary 7-yard first quarter run that marked the Giants’ first opening-drive TD in 27 games. That snapped the NFL’s longest drought. Jones was 16-of-28 for 178 yards passing and two touchdowns, hours after ESPN national insider Adam Schefter interestingly dropped a story pointing out Jones’ $23 million injury guarantee for 2025 as a potential factor in a future benching. The Gano injury, though, created a wave of costly consequences. Gillan missed the extra point try after Singletary’s early touchdown, and Daboll never let Gillan kick a ball at the uprights again. The coach tried two failed two-point conversions after the Giants’ other two touchdowns, including a fourth-quarter 7-yard TD pass to Wan’Dale Robinson. Then with 2:09 remaining in the fourth quarter, Daboll went for a 4th and 4 at the Washington 22-yard line with the game tied at 18 apiece rather than trying a field goal. Rookie first-round pick Malik Nabers, who did most of the Giants’ offensive damage on the day, then dropped a nice throw by Jones to hand the ball back to Washington with 2:04 remaining. It was Nabers’ 18th target on a day when he caught 10 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown, gave the Commanders’ secondary fits in man-to-man, and returned from a concussion evaluation in the first half. But it was a killer drop. “That last play came down to me,” Nabers said. “The whole week I’m gonna think about it.” When Nabers dropped that pass, everyone in the stadium knew that meant the game was over. The defense just wasn’t up to the task all afternoon. Daniels promptly hit wide receiver Noah Brown for a 34-yard completion against corner Cor’Dale Flott, and Seibert hit his seventh field goal for a walk-off Giants defeat. Even where there were positives, the Giants shot themselves in the foot. Singletary carried the ball 16 times for 95 yards (5.9 average) and a touchdown, for example, but he also fumbled on the first drive of the second half. Washington corner Benjamin St-Juste punched it out, and safety Jeremy Chinn recovered. The Giants’ players insisted they can persist despite the discouraging start. “I think it’s just maintaining our edge, maintaining our competitive spirit,” Jones said. Burns rejected the notion that belief doesn’t exist or needs to be created. He said the Giants’ “leaders” won’t let the team get down. “It’s competitive edge and stamina more than belief,” he said of where the Giants can grow. Pinnock said the situation is “tough,” but getting discouraged won’t solve anything. “If you go down the rabbit hole, that ain’t no better,” he said. This doesn’t feel like it’s going to get better, though. Myles Garrett is waiting next Sunday. Then Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons are coming to New Jersey four days after that. There is a good chance this is going to get worse.