Quarterback Roulette enters its moment of truth

Not every coach gets the quarterback of his dreams. But teams must also navigate the intersection of hope and delusion. Also inside: Matt LaFleur flexes his muscles in Green Bay.

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The quarterback evaded right and stuck the football right on his wide receiver’s hands. Two minutes and 4 seconds remained when the New York Giants faced fourth and 4 from the Washington 22-yard line. The game was tied at 18 but without a kicker, they had no choice but to go for it.

Malik Nabers — magnificent all game — could not hang on.

He buried his face in his hands. He slammed a pair of fists into the ground. He didn’t bother to watch the next scene unfold. As the Washington Commanders drove downfield for the winning kick, Nabers sat with his head down on the bench. Kicker Austin Siebert was hoisted into the air by teammates after his seventh field goal of the day split the uprights, the clock hit 0:00, and Nabers continued to sit in shock. A coach tries to console him, slapping his shoulder pad but there’s absolutely zero reaction. As if the receiver’s soul exited his body.

The reaction was different from the Giants’ head coach.

Brian Daboll emphatically spiked his headset into the turf before walking to midfield.

Moments later, Daboll was grilled for not dressing an emergency kicker. He was visibly (and understandably) pissed after a historic defeat.

New York became the first team in NFL history to score three touchdowns, allow no touchdowns and still manage to lose in regulation. There’s big-picture pain, too. All of this came against a quarterback the Giants told us they loved on “Hard Knocks,” a quarterback they would’ve been able to draft if not for Tommy DeVito slicing up some cutlets in three wins late last season. Now, they’ve got to face the 23-year-old Jayden Daniels in their own division.

General managers and head coaches don’t always get what they want.

The Giants are more norm than exception, too.