Commanders set for home opener against NFC rival Giants – NBC4 Washington

The Washington Commanders enter their 2024 home season with a deficit. The team will face the New York Giants at the newly named but underappreciated Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland. Here are some things to watch this week:

Game Details

New York Giants (0-1) at Washington (0-1)

Sunday, 1:00 p.m. EDT, Fox

BetMGM NFL Odds: Commanders with 1 1/2

Against the spread: New York 0-1; Washington 0-1

Series record: Giants lead 108-71-5.

Last meeting: The Giants defeated the Commanders 31-19 on November 19, 2023, in Washington.

Last week: Giants lost to Vikings 28-6; Commanders lost to Buccaneers 37-20.

Giants offense: overall (26), rushing (27), passing (17), scoring (32)

Giants Defense: Overall (19), Run (15), Pass (21), Score (t-9)

Offensive Commanders: Overall (17), Run (19), Pass (19), Score (t-21)

Commanders Defense: Overall (26), Run (16), Pass (29), Score (31)

Revenue difference: Giants tied; Commanders tied

Commanders Player to Watch

Cornerback Benjamin St-Juste was tested by Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans last week. While St-Juste isn’t the only one to blame (a lack of pressure on the passer didn’t help), he could be tested again by Daniel Jones repeatedly throwing to Darius Slayton or first-round pick Malik Nabers.

Giants Player to Watch

Linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux has 5 1/2 sacks, seven tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery for a touchdown in four games against Washington. He’s looking for his fifth straight game against Washington with a sack. He also should be motivated after getting pressure on the quarterback and making no tackles in the opener.

Key confrontation

The Giants’ defense vs. the Commanders’ offensive line. Brian Burns and Thibodeaux didn’t really make a difference against Minnesota, and Washington is motivated to keep rookie QB Jayden Daniels upright and healthy. Daniels should run less and stay in the pocket more often, which will give New York more opportunities to force plays and more time for the offensive line to block.

Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels led 16 carries against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2024 season opener. Should fans panic? Not yet, says JP Finaly.

Major injuries

Giants returner Gunner Olszewski (groin), CB Nick McCloud (knee) and rookie LB Darius Muasau (knee) have been ruled out. … Slayton is a game-time decision after going through concussion protocol. … Nabers was limited in practice Thursday with a knee injury before being fully functional Friday. … PK Graham Gano (groin) was added to the roster Saturday but is expected to play. … Commanders CB Emmanuel Forbes is out after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb. … DE Clelin Ferrell (knee), S Quan Martin (hamstring) and rookie DT Johnny Newton (foot) are doubtful. Newton could make his NFL debut after missing Week 1 following offseason surgery.

Series Notes

The Giants have won the last three games and are undefeated in four games, including a 20-20 tie on Dec. 4, 2022. Washington’s last win was Jan. 9, 2021, the final game for then-New York general manager Dave Gettleman and coach Joe Judge. The Giants had so little offense that Judge elected to have quarterback Jake Fromm run a sneak on second and third downs inside his 5-yard line in the second quarter. … This is Dan Quinn’s first game against the Giants as a head coach since Oct. 22, 2018, with Atlanta. He coached against them six times in the previous three seasons as Dallas’ defensive coordinator.

Statistics and others

Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is 5-1-1 in seven starts against Washington. He has thrown 10 TDs and run for one with three interceptions. Coming back from ACL surgery, he struggled in the opener, completing 22 of 42 passes for 186 yards and two interceptions, including an interception on the sixth down. … RB Devin Singletary was held to 37 rushing yards against Minnesota as the Giants fell behind and threw more passes. … Nabers had five receptions for 66 yards in his NFL debut, including two receptions for 25 yards. … WR Wan’Dale Robinson had a team-best six receptions for 44 yards. … DT Dexter Lawrence had New York’s only sack last week, the 22nd of his career. … LB Bobby Okereke recovered a fumble last week. He had 14 tackles and two forced fumbles in the last meeting between these two teams. … Muasau had six tackles and his first interception against Minnesota. … Daniels completed 17 of 24 passes for 184 yards and ran 16 times for 88 yards and two TDs in his NFL debut. … RBs Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler combined to catch seven passes for 101 yards against the Buccaneers. … WR Terry McLaurin was targeted just four times and had two receptions for 17 yards in the season opener. … Zach Ertz is 38 yards away from becoming the 12th tight end in league history to reach 7,500 receiving yards. … DT Jonathan Allen is one sack away from tying Brian Orakpo for sixth in Washington franchise history since sacks became an official statistic in 1982. … LB Bobby Wagner led the team with 10 tackles, including three for loss, in the opener. … Washington has a new kicker in Austin Seibert after cutting Cade York earlier in the week. York missed both of his field goal attempts to the right last week.

Fancy tip

Nabers could be Jones’ primary target, and the Commanders’ defense is at best a work in progress and at worst has no answer in the passing game. Jones’ success against Washington over the course of his career should also give anyone considering taking over the Commanders’ defense pause.

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