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The Washington Commanders have secured their first win of the 2024 season with a 21-18 victory over the New York Giants. Here are five takeaways from the afternoon.

1. The Commanders have found a kicker.

The Commanders have been on the hunt for a new kicker since releasing Brandon McManus in June. Austin Seibert, who last played a professional game in Week 2 of the 2023 season, is the latest to submit his resume as the long-term answer, and he made a strong case for it.

Seibert, an Oklahoma alum, went 7-of-7 on his field goal attempts against the Giants, which set a single-game record for the franchise. While only one of his attempts was longer than 33 yards -- a 45-yard attempt in the second quarter -- they were enough to help finish all but one of Washington's drives with points, which was a problem for the team in the preseason and Week 1.

Seibert said at his press conference that it was a good way to introduce himself to the team, and head coach Dan Quinn would agree with that sentiment.

"To have a franchise record in your very first game, that's a big deal," Quinn said. "So, it's not easy going into a new locker room without all the time and chemistry with everybody. I thought for him and [P] Tress [Way] and [LS Tyler] Ott, they really did a good job of helping him get there."

Prior to being signed by the Commanders a week ago, Seibert kept himself prepared by kicking at a pine tree in a lot by his house. With his wife filming him and daughter providing support, Seibert said he kicks "25 to 30 balls" at the tree. As he prepared to hit the 30-yard game-winner, he told himself to "go out there and get the tree."

As unusual as it is, the ritual works out for Seibert, although he probably won't need to kick at that tree for a while after Sunday's performance.

2. Brian Robinson helped fuel the Commanders' offense.

Brian Robinson Jr. said after the game that "it's been a while since I've had 17 carries," and for those wondering, the last time he hit that number was in Week 11 last season, coincidentally against the Giants.

Regardless of how many times Robinson ended up touching the ball, he's never been as effective on the ground as he was on Sunday. His 133 rushing yards set a new career high, and his 7.8 yards per carry kept the offense churning as it had its most productive day since Week 9 last season.

"I really felt Brian Robinson was a real factor in the run game today, and we know that he is, but that felt good," Quinn said.

Robinson had two runs of at least 30 yards on Sunday. In the second quarter, he burst through the Giants' defense for a 32-yard scamper to the 27-yard line, which helped set up one of Seibert's field goals. Later in the third quarter, with Washington facing a third-and-1, Robinson somehow slipped through a pile of Giants defenders and ran 40 yards before being tripped at the Giants' 21.

Robinson's 133 rushing yards are the most by a Washington running back since the 2021 season. If the offense can continue to develop, there could be more performances like that in his future this season.

3. The defense had a momentum-swinging turnover.

The Commanders' coaching staff has been preaching the importance of creating turnovers since OTAs. On Sunday, all that attention finally bore fruit at a critical moment.

The Giants were on their way to building a two-score lead in the third quarter after going into halftime with a 12-9 lead. They started at their own 26-yard line and only needed four plays to get to the Commanders' 35, the last play being a 15-yard run by Devin Singletary.

That's when Benjamin St-Juste, who was trailing Singletary, came from behind to deliver a punch to the ball, which popped out of Singletary's grasp. Jeremy Chinn pounced on it, giving Washington the ball at their own 35-yard line.

Washington didn't need long to tie the game. They marched 56 yards downfield on nine plays, culminating with a 27-yard field goal from Seibert. The defense had an up-and-down day, particularly when it came to containing Malik Nabers, but they did manage to supply the Commanders with one of the plays that helped them retake momentum.

4. The defense did enough to stall the Giants at times.

Washington's defense had many of the same problems that plagued it in Week 1. They allowed explosive plays, particularly on third down, and Nabers -- the Giants' best offensive weapon -- was open often as he ended the afternoon with 127 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets.

Give the defense credit, though, because it came up with stops when the team needed them. The unit forced the New York offense to punt twice Sunday afternoon, both of which came after Washington had tied the score. Those two Giants drives resulted in just 31 yards, allowing the Commanders' offense to get the ball back and retake the lead.

Benjamin St-Juste also come up with pass breakups that bottled up Nabers at times. On the Giants' final drive of the game, he swatted the ball away on a play that would have put the Giants deep in Commanders territory.

And speaking of that final Giants drive, the Commanders bent hard but didn't break. They kept the Giants from getting explosive plays, and while they did get backed up to their own 22-yard line, they got enough pressure on Jones to flush him from the pocket and make an off-target throw to Nabers on fourth down.

Washington's defense still has the most room to grow, but Sunday's win showed that some progress is being made in some areas.

5. Still plenty to clean up.

The vibes were high in the Commanders' locker room after the win. Seibert got a game ball, and several players spoke about being able to grind out a win against a division opponent.

However, it didn't need to be that difficult, and there are still several things to clean up.

The Commanders had multiple opportunities to ensure that they didn't need Seibert to hit a game-winning field goal as time expired. They had six trips to the red zone, and none of them resulted in touchdowns. There were several reasons for those failures, but false starts inside the 10-yard line were the most damning culprits.

On special teams, the Commanders nearly had a chance to start the day off with a kickoff return touchdown, but a holding call brought them back to their own 37-yard line. After their opening field goal, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty allowed the Giants to start at midfield, which made it easy for them to score on their opening drive.

And while the explosive plays and third down conversions were the defense's most obvious problems, the unit also had several missed tackles that allowed the Giants to extend plays and pick up first downs.

The Commanders were able to overcome their mistakes in Week 2, but they nearly caused their own demise. They will have two more difficult tests in the coming weeks, the next one being a road matchup on Monday Night Football against the Cincinnati Bengals, who fell to 0-2 after a 26-25 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Bengals are still considered one of the best teams in the AFC, and seven field goals won't be enough to keep up with Joe Burrow, Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase. The Commanders need more from their entire roster, although perhaps Sunday's win is a foundation for future success.