Big Blue View
Can the Giants get some real offense going?
The 2-6 New York Giants host the 6-2 division-leading Washington Commanders this Sunday. The Giants are 3.5-point home underdogs per FanDuel Sportsbook, and the Over/Under is 44.5. New York is on a short week after losing 26-18 to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football.
Washington scored a miraculous last-second Hail Mary touchdown to defeat the Chicago Bears 18-15. The Giants also travel to Germany for their Week 10 matchup against the Carolina Panthers. Washington hosts the Steelers on Sunday in Week 10.
This is the second matchup between the two NFC East foes. Washington defeated the kickerless Giants in Week 2, 21-18. Kicker Graham Gano was a late addition to the injury report, and he hurt his hamstring during Austin Ekeler’s opening kickoff. Brian Daboll did not promote Jude Mcatamney from the practice squad as insurance for the game. New York played the rest of the game with no kicker and lost by a field goal.
The game has all the makings of a trap game for Washington, albeit the Giants’ Week 10 travel schedule certainly doesn’t work in their favor. Still, it’s a road divisional matchup for the Commanders, and the Giants played them tough in Week 2.
Daniel Jones also has quality numbers against Washington. Jones is 5-2-1 against Washington with 1,688 passing yards, 12 touchdown passes, and three interceptions. He threw a touchdown to Malik Nabers and Wan’Dale Robinson in Week 2 and was 16 of 28 for 178 yards. Jones is 0-6 with no passing or rushing touchdowns in six home starts over the last two seasons.
Commanders’ head coach Dan Quinn has their defense playing well. They’ve only allowed 22 points over the last two games (against Panthers and Bears). In Week 6, they surrendered 30 in Baltimore, but just 13 against the Browns in the previous week and 14 against the Cardinals in Week 4.
Washington has the 10th-best scoring defense in the league, allowing only 20.9 points a game. The Giants’ defense ranks 14th with a total of 21.9 points allowed. Some of Washington’s defensive success can be attributed to their schedule, but it’s not like the Giants' offense is a powerhouse either.
The Commanders rank 13th in yards allowed per game, averaging 326.4 yards. The Giants rank 17th with an average of 331.1 YPG. The Commanders’ defense only allowed 186.8 passing yards per game, the sixth-best in the league. Washington does rank 25th in rush yards allowed; the Commanders allow 139.6 rushing yards per game.
Washington’s rushing EPA ranks 21st in the league. They’re averaging the fourth-highest yards per attempt (5.1); only the Saints, Buccaneers, and Giants allow more yards on the deck per attempt. New York established the run successfully in Week 2. Devin Singletary rushed for 95 yards on 16 carries (5.9 YPC) with a touchdown.
Washington blitzes at a 30.6% rate and gets pressure at a 27.8% rate. They are seventh in the league in total sacks...
