EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Coach Brian Daboll walked into his postgame news conference after the New York Giants' 27-22 loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday and was finished talking in less than four minutes.
When the Giants' locker room opened, linebacker Brian Burns was on the floor at Dexter Lawrence's locker and the two had blank looks on their faces. Occasionally, they would look at each other and talk and then go back to staring.
It wasn't supposed to be this way for the Giants, who went 6-11 in 2023 but made moves to improve the roster on both sides of the ball. New York was hoping to return to the playoffs after getting there in 2022, Daboll's first season.
That dream is all but dead. The Giants (2-7) have lost four straight, they are winless in five at MetLife Stadium, and they are last in the NFC East.
Lawrence was not happy being asked what he and Burns discussed.
“Don’t worry. If I’m talking to my teammates, it’s nothing for you to be concerned about,” the standout defensive tackle said. “We’re just talking about the game and what we’re going to do to be better."
Lawrence said the defense need to be more precise, and he was more upset that Daniel Jones and the offense put up enough points to win but didn't get enough help.
Burns said the two were discussing the game, adding he would keep the details private.
Lawrence and Burns, who was acquired from Carolina in the offseason, have known a lot of losing in the NFL.
It's new for wide receiver Malik Nabers, who was part of a winning program at LSU alongside Jayden Daniels, now the Commanders' quarterback. The No. 2 overall pick has led Washington to a 7-2 start. The Giants are headed south.
“You’ve got to get it from the ground up,” said Nabers, who leads the Giants with 55 catches. “I’d rather come from the mud like I did regularly. It feels better when you come from the mud and you start winning successfully.”
What's obvious is that is not going to happen this year.
Daboll said he didn't discuss the team's record after the game.
“I just talked about this game,” he said. “There’s opportunities that we had that we didn’t capitalize on and that’s why we got the results we got.”
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Tom Canavan, The Associated Press
