Commanders Back After Bye: 5 Questions Ahead of Sunday's Game vs. Giants

The New York Giants will visit FedEx Field Sunday to play the Washington Commanders in the biggest game of the season so far.

The Washington Commanders are just about 24 hours away from facing the New York Giants in arguably the biggest game of the season for both NFC East rivals.

To gain more insight into the Giants' current state of affairs, we spoke with Giants Country publisher and Locked on Giants host Patricia Traina.

1. Everyone around the Commanders came out of MetLife Stadium believing they cost themselves a win. How did the Giants take the tie?

Pretty much the same way the Commanders did. The postgame reaction in the Giants locker room was equivalent to a loss. They felt they let that game–and with it a golden opportunity to grab the head-to-head tiebreaker advantage– slip away. But they’ve claimed to flush that game and the disaster against the Eagles, and are dialed in to taking care of business this weekend.

2. Washington’s defense got hit by the Atlanta Falcons’ read-option game in Week 12, and New York did much of the same the next week. But the Commanders did begin to defend the Giants’ version much quicker than they did against Atlanta. Do you believe that will be a focal point in the offensive attack this time around as well?

The Giants are at a point now where their run game is their bread and butter. I think what they might look to do is get Daniel Jones more involved in that running game. I read a stat that claimed the Giants are undefeated when Jones rushes for 100+ yards. Since he’s recovered from a sprained ankle suffered earlier in the year, I think as we count down these last few games, we’re going to see more of those RPOs and designed runs for Jones.

3. What new wrinkles might the Commanders defense have to face this week compared to the last time these teams saw each other?

Honestly, nothing in terms of personnel. In terms of game plan, I don’t think you’re going to see Saquon Barkley run the ball just seven times in the second half. I still don’t understand why they went down that road, but what’s done is done. I think the coaches realize what the strength of this team is and that it’s important to stick with that until it’s completely shut down by an opponent.

4. In the stat box, two of Washington quarterback Taylor Heinicke’s best games as a starter have come against the Giants, and he’s never been part of a roster that lost to them. What is the overall assessment of who Heinicke is as a threat against New York’s defense?

Heinicke has done a pretty good job, but I think if you ask the Giants, they’ll tell you it’s more about the plays they didn’t make than anything. You can’t have missed tackles and bad angles. Also, remember that you had Terry McLaurin going up against a practice squad cornerback for most of the game. Can we say “mismatch”? I think if the Giants had Adoree’ Jackson in the lineup–and I’m not sure he plays–maybe that mitigates McLaurin. But overall, I’d say Washington probably has some better (and healthier) personnel than the Giants do at this juncture.

5. Which team wins this game, and if it’s New York, who’s the key to that victory?

I’m going to go with the Giants here, but I think it’s going to be a close game. Washington is 22-20 after a bye, but I just have a feeling they might come out flat. I think the biggest key for the Giants is to get their run game going and to stuff Washington’s run, two things they really didn’t do a good job of last time–they haven’t done a good job of that over their last five games for that matter. Saquon Barkley is healthy and I believe any pitch counts he might have been on last week will be lifted, so I think we can expect a heavy dose of his running. And if he gets stuffed, look for Daniel Jones to pick up some of that slack with his legs.

Find David Harrison on Twitter @DHarrison82 and on the Locked On Commanders podcast.

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