Hogs Haven
The 5 o’clock club is published from time to time during the season, and aims to provide a forum for reader-driven discussion at a time of day when there isn’t much NFL news being published. Feel free to introduce topics that interest you in the comments below.
2026 opponent preview series: Wk 1 Eagles | Wk 2 Cowboys | Wk 3 Seahawks | Wk 4 Colts
In 2026, the Commanders will, like every other team in the NFL, play 17 games against 14 opponents. With the amount of roster change that NFL teams undergo annually along with the unusually large number of head coach and coordinator changes in 2026, it seems useful to spend some time to review each of Washington’s regular season opponents.
Week 5 will see the Commanders complete their first pass through the NFC East after opening on the road in Philly & Dallas in Weeks 1 & 2. It will also — technically — be Washington’s 3rd consecutive home game, although the trip to London in Week 4 makes that description feel a bit dubious.
Date: October 11, 2026, 1 p.m. ET
Location: Northwest Stadium in Landover
(The two teams play again at Met Life Stadium in Week 10)
The Giants will come to Northwest Stadium after having opened the season with 3 home games in 4 weeks. They play the Titans and Cardinals (who were ranked 27th & 29th in ESPN’s latest Football Power Index) at Met Life Stadium in the two weeks immediately prior to the game in Washington. So, Big Blue could enter this game feeling pretty good about themselves and their new coaching staff.
This rivalry is the oldest that Washington has in the NFL (beating the Cardinals by a week; the Bears by 3 weeks; and the Packers by 5 weeks), and it has survived one relocation and a total of 4 different team monikers on the part of the Washington franchise.
The Giants have been playing football since 1925, and they were the 2nd team to play against the Boston Braves in the burgundy & gold’s inaugural season in 1932 — the only season in which the “Braves” moniker was used by the team.
That first game in this 93-year rivalry was won by the Braves 14-6 at home in Boston in early October. The game played at the Polo Grounds in New York two weeks later ended in a 0-0 tie — the ultimate defensive battle!
The two teams have met twice in each regular season since then. They have also met twice in the playoffs (a surprisingly low number considering the length of the rivalry) with the teams...
