Hogs Haven
The Commanders took a 13-0 lead in the first half, and never allowed the Giants to tie or take the lead.
Still, Washington made several mistakes, with two turnovers in the 4th quarter to make the win a lot tougher to achieve than it should have been.
Final score:
RB Chris Rodriguez is out this week with a groin injury. That likely pushes Bill Croskey-Merritt into the lead back role though Chase Edmonds is active after being signed from the practice squad earlier this week. Croskey-Merritt opened his NFL career against the Giants in Week 1, running for 82 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries in his NFL regular season debut, which the Commanders won 21-6 with Russell Wilson starting at QB for the Giants. That seems like a lifetime ago.
Of course, Jayden Daniels is out again this week as Marcus Mariota gets his 7th start of the season, with rookie Jaxson Dart starting for New York.
On a cold day in an outdoor stadium, the Giants are kicking off after winning the coin toss. The Commanders opened the game with the ball at the 33-yard line after a return by Chase Edmonds on a fairly short kickoff.
Commanders
Interestingly, the offense opens with Jeremy McNichols — usually the 3rd down back — running on 1st down (for a 1-yard loss). After a Mariota scramble, on 3rd & 3, McLaurin got a favorable spot to earn a fresh set of downs — a call that was challenged by the Giants. Watching it live, I thought Terry was a half-yard short, but the replay ref let the spot stand. 1st & 10 for the Commanders at the 43-yard line.
McNichols stays in the game and earns 5 yards on 2 runs. On 3rd & 5, Conerly was flagged on a false start when Brian Burns should have been flagged for offsides. The refs call one marginal call each way early in the game. On 3rd & 10, Mariota fired downfield and hit Noah Brown on a 28-yard strike inside the NY 30-yard line.
A bad holding call against Trey Burks on a run play changes it to 1st & 20 at the NY 39-yard line.
After a dropped pass in the middle of the field on 2nd down by Deebo, on 3rd & 20, Mariota ran the ball to the 28-yard line (gain of 11 yards) and Jake Moody came out for a 46-yard field goal attempt. He made the kick to open a 3-0 lead with about 9 1/2 minutes left in the quarter. Three penalty flags (2 accepted for 15 yards) killed this drive.
Giants
The Giants started their first offensive drive at the 33-yard line (same as Washington’s first drive).
Dart opens his day by hitting Darius Slayton on a 19-yard strike in the middle of the field, defended by Quan Martin.
The defense got into the penalty-spree with...
