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Giants (3-1) Commanders (1-3)
Last
week the Washington Commanders were playing without their starting quarterback.
They lost their backup quarterback early on, and that didn't help them in their
efforts against the Indianapolis Colts. The Commanders were down to their third
string quarterback, a rookie throwing passes for the first time in the NFL The
Commanders ended up with a 30-13 loss.
The
Giants treated their fans to another win at MetLife Stadium with a 36-24 victory
over the Arizona Cardinals. They made it exciting as the Cardinals were threatening
to win the game, having the Giants making a near goal line stand on the last four
plays of the game, and the last play was an interception returned by the Giants
for a touchdown. Washington
Commanders
In 2023 the Commanders finished
last in the NFC East division with a 4-13 record. In 2024 they brought in a new
General Manager, Adam Peters. Dan Quinn replaced Ron Rivera as the head coach.
Kliff Kingsbury replaced offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. Joe Whitt Jr. became
the defensive coordinator.
The Commanders also drafted a new starting quarterback.
Their poor record allotted them the second overall draft selection, and they picked
Jayden Daniels.
The Commanders hadn't won over 10 games in a season since
1991. They weren't expecting Daniels to get them 12 in his rookie season, and
bring them to just one game away from reaching the Super Bowl. It was one of the
best rookie seasons a quarterback could have. Things did not go as well in 2025,
and a 5-12 record brings in new offensive and defensive coordinators, David Blough
and Daronte Jones. Washington
Commanders Offense
Quarterback Jayden Daniels did all he could do in his first year, including winning
the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Daniels played in only 7 games last
year due to injuries. After losing a close game in this years season opener, Daniels
dislocated his left elbow in the next one against the Cowboys. Marcus Mariota
stepped in, couldn't pull out that game, and now he had a week to prepare for
a tough one coming up next as Daniels was sidelined. It was against the Seattle
Seahawks, who had won their last 7 regular season games, and then three more after
that to become the Super Bowl champions.
They had added two more wins this
season before traveling to Washington to take on the Commanders. Mariota came
up with 3 touchdowns, and led the team to a 33-31 win over the Seahawks. Mariota
had thrown only four passes in the Commanders last game with the Colts before
he took a sack, was injured, and had to leave the game with a knee injury. Rookie
third string quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis was in next, and the Commanders took
a 30-13 loss.
Daniels is back and will be the starter for this game with the
Giants. He won't have top receiver Stefon Diggs available to throw to, as he's
out with a hamstring injury. Terry McLaurin is second in targets and catches to
Diggs, and though he was out last week dealing with a hamstring injury, is expected
to play, though he is listed as questionable. Those two have accounted for 4 of
the Commanders total of 8 passing touchdowns, and 19 of the 38 passing first downs.
The Commanders don't seem to favor their tight ends in the passing game. John
Bates, Chig Okonkwo, Colson Yankoff, and Ben Sinnott have combined for just 10
catches in the first four games. Lead running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt has
the only rushing touchdown the Commanders have scored, and he is averaging just
2.8 yards on his 56 carries. Rachaad White is next with 22 carries for 100 yards,
and White makes good use of his, He has caught 9 out of 9 passes, including one
for a touchdown. Washington
Commanders Defense
They replaced the defensive coordinator, and are giving up 30.5 points a game.
Four games in it's too early to tell, but last year it was 26.5. Rushing defense
has certainly improved over last year where it stood at 141.8 yards a game, to
the current 93.5 yards. The upfront group knows how to bring pressure, and has
been helped by drafting the number 7 overall pick, linebacker Sonny Styles. The
rookie is very athletic, and aside from his run stopping abilities, he has one
of the 3 interceptions on the team, and one sack. The sack leader is linebacker
Odafe Oweh, who was a free agent brought in
to improve the pass rush, and he has 2 sacks. Linebacker K'Lavon Chaisson was
also signed on to the team this year, and is next with 1.5,.
The Giants are
one of the top ten teams in rushing attempts, so this will be a good test for
them. Washing'ton's passing defense is about the same as it was last year, giving
up 242.5 yards per game. Cornerback Mike Sainristil
came up with 4 of the teams total 8 interceptions last year, has none now, and
will be looking for Jameis Winston to get sloppy in his direction. Winston might
be tempted to go after the secondary considering safeties Percy Butler, Tyler
Owens, and Nick Cross have been ruled out for this game. Giants
Offense
It was good to see that in Jameis
Winston's second game as the starter, he threw for 250 yards and 3 touchdowns,
in the Giants 36-24 win over the Arizona Cardinals last week. Including the win
over the Tennessee Titans the week before, Winston is now two for two as the starting
quarterback, but this last one included two interceptions. Winston completed over
62 percent of his passes in those games, but that ratio of touchdowns to interceptions,
something he's had trouble with over his career, won't keep him in the drivers
seat for long. The Giants traded for J.J. McCarthy for a reason. The 2024 first-round
pick missed his rookie season because of an injury, and had some game playing
experience last year.
Winston three touchdown passes went to wide receivers
Malachi Fields and Malik Nabers, and tight end Theo Johnson. Nabers had his best
game since returning from his ACL injury, with 6 receptions for 112 yards and
1 touchdown. Center John Michael Schmitz missed
a couple of practices for personal reasons, and Bryan Hudson got his first NFL
start. Hudson was an undrafted rookie in 2024, has worked with Winston for two
years on the second team offense, and the Giants are keeping that going for now.
Tight end Isaiah Likely has been targeted the most, and has the most catches.
Wide receivers Nabers and Fields follow next in those categories. The three account
for 28 of the teams total receiving first downs.
The Giants really like to
run the ball, and Cam Skattebo has carried the heavy load so to speak, with 68
rushing attempts, averaging 3.5 yards a carry, and has the teams only rushing
touchdown. Najee Harris is next with 22 carries averaging 4 yards a carry. Skattebo
has fumbled the ball three times, Harris and Tyrone Tracy have each done that
once. The rushing attack came up with just 87 yards last week on 28 carries, which
is an average of 3.1 yards per carry. They'll be up against a tough group of run
defenders this week. Giants
Defense
The Commanders offensive line has
not done a bad job, considering three different quarterbacks have been shuffled
in at various times. They have given up just 5 sacks in four games. The Giants
defense is not producing sacks, but they are producing a lot of quarterback pressure,
especially by Abdul Carter, who has one sack, and Arvell Reese, who came up with
his first interception last week. He was tied with Tremaine Edmunds with 9 total
tackles. Jayden Daniels is returning after missing two games. He's a dual threat
quarterback who can run with the ball, but with reliable backup Marcus Mariota
not playing, it would be foolish to have him take extra hits.
Their plan would
seem to be going after the Giants defense with a strong running game. Rachaad
White has been the most effective with his carries, and if he slips past the line,
he will catch the throws. Also, veteran running back Austin Ekeler, who suffered
a torn right Achilles tendon in Week 2 of the 2025 season, played last week in
his first game back. Ekeler had just four carries, but picked up 29 yards, and
that makes you take notice.
Expect to see more of Ekeler in the mix with the
other two running backs, as they try to exploit the Giants rushing defense which
has it's ups and downs. It might not work if this defense continues to do as they
did in the games second half last week. The Giants gave up 92 rushing yards on
15 carries in the first half, and then limited the Cardinals to just 31 yards
on their next 11 rushes. The Giants secondary did well last week. The Cardinals
wide receivers caught only 8 passes for 107 yards, and there were 2 interceptions.
After
missing two games dealing with a calf injury, Deonte Banks last week sealed the
win for the Giants with a 98 yard interception return for a touchdown. Banks was
named NFC Defensive Player of the Week. Overall
The Giants are the underdogs in this game, the same as they were last week. They
are not commanding much respect by coming up with wins the way they are doing
it. Washington has already lost two division games. They are not anxious to lose
another to the Giants, who they beat twice last year. Let's see if the Giants
can earn some commanding respect once this next game is over. NFC
East Games
Thursday at 8:15pm Bucs (0-4)
at Cowboys (2-2) - UPDATE Bucs 24 - Cowboys 16
Sunday at 9:30am Eagles (2-2)
atJaguars (3-1)
Sunday at 1:00pm Giants (3-1) at Commanders (1-3)
The Cowboys
and Commanders are the NFC East teams favored to win in these games.
Check out.
Giants
On The Air. Listen to the Radio Broadcasts.
TeamGiants on Twitter.
Next Games
Oct
18 Saints at Giants
Oct 25 Giants at Texans
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