Every game has become a must-win matchup with do-or-die stakes for the 2-5-1 Washington Commanders. Thursday night’s matchup against the division-leading New York Giants — a month after an embarrassing tie between the two teams — is no exception.
The Giants (5-2-1) have jumped out to a sizable lead in a messy NFC East. A Washington victory in primetime moves the Commanders within two games of the division lead. Another loss drops them to 2-6-1, four games out of the playoff picture with nine games left.
“Big-time divisional matchup,” rookie linebacker Sonny Styles said Wednesday. “Short week, so we’re just ready to get after it.”
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Washington’s players don’t need to see the playoff odds to understand the importance of Thursday’s game. The Commanders had the win within their grasp during the Week 5 game against the Giants. They became the league’s laughingstock after watching the clock expire in overtime, failing to attempt a makeable game-winning field goal due to a lack of urgency on the field.
The Commanders have struggled to pull together complete performances this season. Clock management woes, defensive miscommunications, pre-snap penalties and injuries on offense have sunk Washington’s hope of capitalizing on rough starts by the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Washington has avoided wholesale changes. Head coach Dan Quinn, offensive coordinator David Blough and defensive coordinator Daronte Jones have held onto their respective positions. The trade deadline passed on Tuesday without any major moves from General Manager Adam Peters. He noted that the team had checked in on potential targets, but those players were not ultimately traded by their respective teams.
ESPN reported that opposing teams had called about cornerback Mike Sainristil, who lost his starting job after a disappointing start, but the Commanders ultimately decided not to trade him.
If the Commanders are going to crawl back into contention, they’ll need the players and coaches already in the building to find their stride.
“I feel like we’re doing a good job during the majority of the games, but I feel like we’ve slacked on a series or two. That could be detrimental. That’s costly,” defensive tackle Tim Settle said this week.
In the first game against New York, a lackluster fourth quarter allowed the Giants to erase a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime. It’s been a theme. Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams started with an early 10-3 lead in the first half.
The Rams outscored the Commanders 14-3 in the final two quarters for an easy win.
“Close is never good enough,” running back Austin Ekeler said. “The NFL is such a fine margin between right over the .500 line and right underneath. … At the end of the day, it comes down to us playing clean and operating throughout the entire game. If we can do that at a high level, then we win these games.”
Keeping quarterback Jayden Daniels clean will be a focus on Thursday night. Rain and wind are in the forecast for the game in New Jersey. New York will try to ensure that Washington’s franchise signal-caller ends the game with a mud-caked uniform.
The Giants pass rush is a clear strength, thanks in part to star rookie linebacker Arvell Reese. He finished with three sacks during last week’s win over the Eagles.
New York blitzed Daniels on 62% of his dropbacks during the first matchup, their highest blitz rate of the season. That trend is likely to continue with backup center Nick Allegretti stepping in. Starter Lucas Patrick will be sidelined with a concussion.
“You’ve got to have answers; answers within myself of different things I could check to, answers within the play any protection, adjustments, stuff like that,” Daniels said.
Jones could bring a similar game plan to attack New York quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The former Vikings first-round pick has posted solid performances during his first three games as a Giant.
But he hasn’t been tested against the blitz. The Michigan product has been blitzed on 23 dropbacks this season. He’s struggled.
McCarthy has taken sacks on 6 of those 23 blitzes, the highest sack rate among any passer with at least two starts, according to NFL Pro. His lone interception arrived on a blitz.
Jones’ defense is eager to take the ball away.
The first-year defensive play-caller has called a blitz on 42.5% of opponent dropbacks, the third-highest rate in the league. Washington’s defense has used Styles and fellow linebacker Frankie Luvu close to the line of scrimmage to disguise blitzes, leaving opposing quarterbacks and centers scrambling as they try to determine who will rush the passer and who will drop into coverage.
“We want our identity to be wolves,” cornerback Amik Robertson said. “Sometimes you go out there and you hunt, but you don’t get no food. You keep going. That has to be our identity.”
Thursday night’s matchup between two hungry defenses kicks off at 8:15 p.m. on Amazon’s Prime Video. The Commanders are hoping a victory could keep their season alive.
“I still want to win. The season is not over by any means,” wide receiver Stefon Diggs said. “I’m never going to half step or not give it my all. So, high hopes. I only can focus on going 1-0 this week, get another one in the win column, see where we’re at.”
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