Daniel Jones will have yet another chance to throw his first passing touchdown at MetLife Stadium this season when the 2-6 Giants return home to take on the 6-2, up-and-coming Washington Commanders on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
While the Giants are coming off yet another heartbreaking loss, the Commanders are coming off one of the most unlikely victories in recent NFL history.
Trailing by three, lined up 52 yards away from the end zone, Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels launched a hail mary that was bobbled around and found the hands of receiver Noah Brown for the game-winning touchdown.
After years of misery and mediocrity, the Commanders, with Daniels at the helm, look to finally be headed in the right direction. The Commanders are 6-2, stand on top of the NFC East, and look to do something they have only done twice since 2000, sweep the Giants in the regular season.
For as quickly as the Commanders are rising, the Giants are falling just as fast. Big Blue is 2-6 after dropping their last game on Monday Night Football to the Pittsburgh Steelers 26-18.
It seemed that every time the Giants were about to make a play to get themselves back in the
game, they made a costly turnover or mistake that the Steelers pounced on.
The Giants, who are 0-3 at home this season, will need to limit those mistakes if they are to come out victorious on Sunday.
Despite their records, Jones and Daniels have similar passing totals, with Daniels having
thrown for 1,736 yards and Jones throwing for 1,706. Both men are also close in touchdown
totals, with Daniels recording seven touchdown passes to Jones’ six. However, after a strong
start to the season, the offensive line has begun to let Jones down, as he has been sacked 25 times through eight games this season, which ranks second-most in the league. The Commanders’ 21 sacks are tied for the sixth-most in the league, and if they are able to get to Jones, it’ll be yet another long night for the Giants quarterback.
On the other side, the Giants defense’s 35 sacks is the most in the league. Leading the
way is superstar nose tackle Dexter Lawrence, whose nine sacks lead the NFL. Although he was held sack-less in the loss to Pittsburgh, he will be a focal point of the pass rush on Sunday, and with the help of Brian Burns and recent breakout Azeez Ojulari, getting to
Daniels needs to be priority number one for Big Blue.
If the Giants are to upset the Commanders on Sunday, their secondary will need to limit the likes of Terry McLaurin, whose 579 receiving yards are fourth-most in the NFL. Limiting his production is key and could force Daniels to make mistakes and be uncomfortable. However,
the Giants will make mistakes, and if the Commanders are able to take advantag, they should have no problem moving to 7-2 on the season.
