New York Giants Week 2: Keys to Beating the Washington Commanders

Here is how the New York Giants can right the ship against the Washington Commanders.

Dec 4, 2022; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; General view of a New York Giants helmet prior to the game against the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images / Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

When the New York Giants need a dire rebound, who else better for them to face than the Washington Commanders?

Last Sunday, the Giants looked abysmal in their season-opening 28-6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings at MetLife Stadium. More importantly, quarterback Daniel Jones and the offense were irrelevant in putting pressure on the Vikings' lackluster pass defense. They posted just 240 yards of total offense and failed to cross the goal line for a touchdown. 

The loss left a bad taste in the mouths of the franchise and the fanbase, but the good news is they can avenge it against an opponent highly familiar to them. Visiting their NFC East rival in Week 2, the Giants will look to keep the good times rolling against the Commanders, a team they’ve historically owned, including three of the last five contests between the two franchises.

Like the Giants, the Commanders have undergone several changes in their own building. The most notable of them were the hiring of Dan Quinn to replace Ron Rivera as head coach after a stint as a defensive coordinator in Dallas and the draft of quarterback Jayden Daniels with the second overall pick to take over the failed experiment with former gunslinger Sam Howell. 

While Washington made a bunch of free-agent acquisitions that bolstered the roster with experience, they are still entering the matchup with New York with questions left to be answered on the gridiron. 

Their offense was more efficient than their foe’s behind Daniels’ two debut rushing touchdowns against Tampa Bay in Week 1, but the Commanders didn’t prove much in the air, and their defense was shredded for nearly 400 yards and four scores.

As for the Giants, the latest meeting offers Jones and company an excellent opportunity to fix their faults and reclaim a hold on the direction of their season. After his poor showing in his first regular season game back from injury, Jones needs to prove he can still command the offense successfully and without silly errors, something he has found a way to do to the Commanders with a 5-1-1 record against them. 

Even then, there are a few more things the Giants need to do if they want to leave Washington with their first win of the year and extend the trend of dominance in the historic series. If these keys to the game hold true on Sunday, it could jolt the locker room needs to keep the season from spiraling out of control. 

New York Giants outside linebackers Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux had a quiet opening game against the Vikings. / Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Bring That Pressure 

The New York Giants pass rush was a little mediocre compared to what many analysts thought they would be against Minnesota in Week 1. Now facing a Washington squad that isn’t as consistent up front, it presents the perfect opportunity for the team’s edge weapons to begin their delayed feast. 

Last Sunday, the Giants defense started off hot in bringing the pressure to Sam Darnold and the Vikings, forcing an early sack by Dexter Lawrence and a fumble deep in their own territory courtesy of rookie a lot corner Dru Phillips. The rest of the way, however, they struggled to sniff the quarterback thanks to Minnesota’s experienced blockers on the edge, resulting in just 11 total pressures and an average win rate of 12.2 percent. 

Things should be a little different against the Commanders, whose offensive line has some veteran pieces on its starting front but isn’t as skilled at protecting the pocket. That could mean potentially big performances from New York’s new tandem in Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux, two pass rushing studs that need to find their groove if the Giants want to conquer the Commanders again. 

In 2023, the Commanders finished 14th in the NFL in pass block win rate with a team score of about 59 percent, a steep drop from the third-best ranking Minnesota boasted a week prior. Their struggles, particularly as injuries started to accumulate, were a major factor in allowing the second-highest sack total in the league behind the Giants (65) and holding one of the worst aerial offenses in select passing categories. 

Much of their woes came from the two tackles spots which have yet to be established. The Commanders played four different linemen at the tackle position last week, but it appears as if veteran Charles Leno Jr. and Andrew Wylie are the ones getting the bulk of the work. Both men combined for 1,324 pass blocking snaps last fall and allowed a whopping 12 sacks and 11 quarterback hits under their watch. 

Against Tampa Bay, the Commanders front looked a little stronger, but they still made Jayden Daniels feel the pressure to some extent and run for his life out of the pocket. If the Giants can take advantage of this weakness early, they’ll swing the momentum of the game over to their offense and increase their chances of winning. 

If anything, they know they have a guy in Thibodeaux who has dominated early in his career against Washington. Per StatMuse, Thibodeaux has recorded 15 tackles, 5.5 sacks and one fumble recovery in just four games with the Commanders, his last appearance earning two huge takedowns to help New York seal the deal on one of their six wins last season.

As for Burns, he holds just four tackles and two sacks in three contests with the franchise, but they’ve yet to have their talents tested by his talents in a new Shane Bowen system that prioritizes pressure up front. The Giants need to bring it with these two and finish at the quarterback and that will help push them to another victory against their seemingly inferior opponent.

Sep 8, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) was the Commanders leading rusher against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Week 1 opener / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Take Away the Run 

While it didn’t look that much in their season opener, the Washington Commanders made a point to flash their new run game against the Buccaneers and it became the origin of their scoring in the 37-20 loss. They might try to do it again with New York, and the Giants must take it away and force the opponent to test their arsenal on the outside. 

The Commanders carried the football 30 times in Week 1 for a total of 138 yards and three touchdowns, two of which came on the ground using Daniels' legs to punch in the pigskin. They finished with an average carry of 4.6 yards in that span, falling just 46 yards shy of the production coming from the passing game. 

With those numbers rolling over into Sunday’s matchup, the Commanders rank 10th in rushing attempts and 12th in rushing yards which is a steep improvement from 2023’s metrics. That should make their running backs salivate seeing a team like the Giants that has struggled to slow down the run in recent seasons, but the buck needs to stop there with their own improved defensive front, led by All-Pro caliber gap stuffer Dexter Lawrence. 

Against Minnesota, the Giants allowed 111 rushing yards from 26 carries and an average rush of 4.3 yards, mostly coming from new lead back Aaron Jones who had 94 yards and a touchdown to highlight his afternoon. That currently has them ranked in the middle of the pack in the NFL, all numbers that should go down given how the Giants fared with Washington in last season’s two meetings. 

In those contests, they held the Commanders to 312 combined yards on the ground and forced seven turnovers along the way. They also held all Washington rushers below 73 yards in either game and allowed only two touchdowns up the middle which left the Commanders offense befuddled as they equally failed to get much going in the air under immense pressure from different directions.  

If they can copy that success in Week 2 this time around, it will lend to Daniels’ having to test his arm and make some throws on the run. Even with a revamped receiver room, that isn’t the bread and butter of his game and something that occasionally ran him into turnover woes at the college level. 

So, just like the previous two games, expect the Giants to throw the kitchen sink at the Commanders’ ball carriers and force a change in scheme. That’ll be more critical towards the goal line when they like to punch the ball in with guys like Brian Robinson Jr. and will provide just as much of a test for New York’s young secondary to follow up against an passing offense that hasn’t scared anybody yet. 

Sep 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) had a rough Week 1 outing in a blowout loss to the Minnesota Vikings. / John Jones-Imagn Images

Let it Rip, Daniel

It’s been a rollercoaster week for Daniel Jones in the aftermath of his brutal performance against the Minnesota Vikings. The quarterback, who was the subject of immense criticism and indecent heckling from fans outside MetLife Stadium last Sunday, is dancing with his fate in his sixth season under center for the Giants and is desperate for a turnaround game. 

Jones need look no further than the opponent standing in front of him in the Washington Commanders, the one franchise whose number he seems to have regardless of the external environment. In seven career games against his division rival, Jones holds a 5-1-1 record and a 10-3 touchdown to interception ratio, posting some of his brightest performances as the Giants starting arm. 

In those same outings, Jones has attempted at least 31 passes six times, completing an average of 69.7 percent of his throws while netting 215.7 yards and notching 14 total touchdowns. His best stat line against the Commanders came in December 2019, when he went 28-42 for 352 yards and five touchdowns to carry the Giants to a massive win as a rookie. 

Returning to the gridiron with the Commanders could be the best thing for Jones because it’s empowered him to sling the pigskin and that is exactly what he needs to do on Sunday. Without a stud like Barkley in the backfield, New York’s offense amounts to nothing if they don’t establish a good passing attack, and that all begins with the work of Jones in the pocket.

Despite the shortened season with his neck and ACL injuries, Jones lacked any sort of impactful passing in the six games he played in 2023. He completed a career-high 67.5 percent of his attempts, but only averaged 5.7 yards per toss which marked the worst number in that same span. He also threw just two touchdowns, lending to a lack of confidence and command in the most important part of the field, the redzone.

In Week 1 against Minnesota’s decent pass defense,  there was a slight semblance of cohesion between Jones and rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers, who hauled in five balls for 66 yards and a 13.2 yard average catch to lead the Giants offense. Yet, the rest of the huddle was absent from the discussion and the Giants couldn’t push the football downfield amid his poor turnovers, putting into question Jones’ abilities to find his targets and lead the team to wins. 

With an improved offensive line protecting him and a talented receiving core, there is less reason for Jones to fret. He needs to put more trust in his game and get back to being the catalyst for the offense instead of the reason why it falls apart. He needs to take it to the Commanders early, let the football rip at all levels, and not be afraid to take shots that could be the difference maker for the Giants in the end. 

Week 2 presents him another chance to flip the script and shine against a lackluster Commanders group that mirrors the Giants in youth and experience. They were the worst unit in stopping the pass in 2023, a big reason for the changes made to the coaching staff, and were one of the same in protecting the end zone from scoring parties by the opponent. 

Now, they enter the latest battle with the Giants in a very similar situation after getting throttled for a whopping 400 yards and four scores against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week.

If Jones can trust his timing, make better reads, and get the ball out at the first sign of an open man, he’ll earn a comparable script to the one he’s made in past games with Washington and that leaves the Giants hopeful for the spark that they need to keep the season from running away. 

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