Commanders vs. Giants Preview (11-2-24)
By: Jaden Golding
Headline Photo Credit: Washington Commanders
East Rutherford, NJ- The Washington Commanders travel up the east coast to take on the NFC East foe New York Giants at Metlife Stadium tomorrow afternoon.
Washington (6-2) takes the road after an exciting last-second hail mary victory against the Chicago Bears last Sunday and will look to sweep the season series with the Giants for the first time since the 2021-22 season.
New York (2-6) fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football last week and have dropped their previous three contests. During the losing streak quarterback Daniel Jones has struggled throwing zero touchdowns, and two interceptions, has been sacked 13 times, lost one fumble and the offense has scored only once. Brutal stretch for this offense, when their defense has done an excellent job at keeping in these games.
Washington first-rounder Jayden Daniels didn’t have his best game of the season by far, but showed his toughness and skill to power through his rib injury continuing to make plays, the biggest one being the final Hail Mary heave. The Commanders’ offense must be better than it was this past week, as they had outgained Chicago 481-to-307 yards and only won the game on that final play. If you watched the entire game, the Washington defense suffocated Chicago’s offense until on their final drive Caleb Williams led a go-ahead touchdown drive. But Williams finished with only 131 passing yards, was sacked twice, lost a fumble, and had a 59.5 passer rating. The offense did a good job of moving up the field, but couldn’t convert on three-red zone trips with one originally being a touchdown screen pass to Olamide Zaccheaus that was called back due to an illegal man downfield call.
In the first meeting with the Giants, the Commanders struggled with red zone offense due to penalties, and this resulted in them winning by kicker Austin Seibert converting 7-for-7 field goals.
Keys To Victory
● Neutralize Daniel Jones as a runner: The Commanders must keep Jones contained on the ground as one of the best attributes of his game is his ability to be a sneaky good athletic runner keeping defenses on its heels. Washington knows that especially with their history against Jones. If they can force him to have to sit in the pocket and make decisions on where to throw then it can make life easier with them.
● Malik Nabers cannot dominate: Gearing more towards the defense might be confusing especially with their performance this past month but containing the Giants’ best offensive player must be key #1. Nabers cannot dictate the flow of this game with his playmaking ability. He can create separation and make big plays when the ball finds his hands. Expect the Commanders to give him different looks such as some double teams, safety help, and maybe time-to-time some man coverage.
● Score touchdowns: This last point is simple: the Commanders have to score seven points at the end of their drives, not three. Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has to dial up some different looks in the red zone, as teams have been dialed in on the designed runs with Daniels and the read options. Finding Terry McLaurin draws a lot of success, maybe putting Austin Ekeler out there at the same time as Brian Robinson Jr. can make it hard on who to focus on and finally opening up your tight ends up the field can benefit the offense.
New York and Washington Player To Watch
● LB Brian Burns: Burns has found his momentum getting a sack in five of his past six contests. Burns is a game wrecker and puts offensive linemen off with his speed and pass-rushing moves off the edge. Watch out for number zero.
● RBs Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler: The Washington running backs enter the game against a defense that ranks 27th in the league against the run. Expect a fair share of carries for both running backs attacking the edges and doubling up starting defensive tackle Dexter Lawerence and forcing others on that line to make plays. Robinson Jr. averages 4.58 yards per carry and Ekeler 6.2.
All Time vs. Giants
The New York Giants lead the all-time series with a 108-72-5 advantage. Washington took the most recent contest back in week two with a 21-18 victory.
Final Verdict
The Giants feel as if they are free-falling right now and their season is slipping away from them fast. Washington knows they must play better than they showed last week, and expect them to come out and try to dominate from start to finish. If they can control the tempo and make the key defensive stops they could run away with this contest. But don’t put anything past New York after all it’s a division matchup and it’s always a tough physical game.
