When it was lastly over, Kayvon Thibodeaux wasn’t 100% certain that it truly was over.
“Wanting round, you didn’t understand it was over,” the Giants’ rookie edge-rusher mentioned after the Giants 20-20 additional time tie with Washington on Sunday at MetLife Stadium was certainly over. “Lastly, it was like, ‘OK it’s over; everyone can depart now.’ And we walked off.”
When Thibodeaux and his teammates received into the house locker room, it was there the place the processing would start about what had simply taken place.
How did the Giants course of 20-20?
Had been they ticked off about not successful?
Angered by the litany of missed alternatives?
Had been they relieved to not lose?
Had been they interested in how a lot the tie would possibly harm or assist them within the tight race for a wild-card playoff berth that’s unfolding?
What emotion ought to the Giants really feel in regards to the finish end result?
A visit round their postgame locker room, going from locker to locker to ask gamers what they have been feeling, made this abundantly clear: The Giants really feel like they misplaced to the Commanders, 20-20.
“I’ve by no means been concerned in a tie, however I’m treating it like an ‘L,’ ” defensive finish Jihad Ward mentioned.
It’s how a lot of the Giants gamers handled 20-20.
“It seems like a loss,” edge-rusher Oshane Ximines mentioned. “The purpose is to win. No person’s pleased with a tie. It feels dangerous.”
Left deal with Andrew Thomas mentioned, “It simply wasn’t adequate.”
Left guard Nick Gates sounded genuinely disgusted by the end result.
“I don’t suppose we performed as much as our commonplace,” he mentioned. “We positively left some stuff on the market. We did some good issues, however there have been loads of dangerous issues on the market, too.”
Gates had most likely simply completed trying on the Giants’ drive chart within the field rating. That is what it seemed like after they took a 20-13 lead within the third quarter after taking the ball over on the Washington 20-yard line because of an Azeez Ojulari sack and compelled fumble: Punt, punt, punt, punt, finish of fourth quarter, punt, punt, missed area purpose to finish the sport.
“It sucks,” working again Saquon Barkley mentioned. “You’ve received a bitter style in your mouth after a tie. That’s why it seems like a loss.”
Quarterback Daniel Jones reasoned that “it’s not a loss” after which added, “[but] it’s not a win, both. I believe we’re all fairly disenchanted with the end result.”
The factor is, there have been loads of good issues the Giants did on the day — notably on protection.
The Giants sacked Washington quarterback Taylor Heinicke 5 occasions. Isaiah Hodgins, a receiver the Giants basically discovered off the road a month in the past, caught a TD go amongst his 4 receptions. Receiver Darius Slayton caught six passes for 90 yards. Barkley went over the 1,000-yard mark together with his 63 dashing yards and scored a TD.
It wasn’t all dangerous for the Giants. But it surely wasn’t sufficient.
Kicker Graham Gano, whose 58-yard area purpose try on the ultimate play of additional time fell effectively brief, referred to a 2014 sport that he tied with the Bengals when he was taking part in with the Panthers because the distinction in Carolina making the playoffs.
Gano’s Panthers tied the Bengals 37-37 in Week 6 and ended up ending the common season 7-8-1 and successful the NFC South by that half sport over the 7-9 Saints.
“That tie truly put us within the playoffs on the finish of the season,’’ Gano recalled. “It was early in season, that tie was the distinction between us transferring on and another person [the Saints] not.
“It’s nonetheless not supreme tying a sport. It’s irritating. However you by no means know what’s going to occur down the road.’’
The 7-4-1 Giants, who've 5 remaining video games (together with a second assembly with the 7-5-1 Commanders in Washington in two weeks), will hope Sunday’s end result finally ends up serving to them attain the playoffs as an alternative of stopping them from their first postseason berth since 2017.
The Giants weren’t alone of their conflicted feelings about really feel in regards to the sport.
Washington coach Ron Rivera was requested after the sport what “pissed off” him in regards to the sport.
“The tie,” he mentioned. “I addressed [the team], and I wasn’t certain tackle them.”
Washington receiver Terry McLaurin sounded a bit like Thibodeaux when describing the scene on the finish of the sport as “slightly bizarre.”
“After the sport you don’t actually know what to do subsequent,” McLaurin mentioned. “Even the followers are nonetheless standing within the stands. Will we go to PKs [soccer penalty kicks]? What will we do?”
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