Giants / Commanders preview – Big Night in DC

Giants / Commanders preview – Big Night in DC

by Thomas Quaynor, NFL analyst for Wannamakeabet.com

The New York Giants (7-5-1) visit the Washington Commanders (7-5-1) in an NFC East rematch tonight at 8:20 on NBC. These teams played each other just two weeks ago, the game ended in a 20-20 tie. The Commanders opened as a 3.5-point favorite; the line is now up to 4.5. The Giants got destroyed by the visiting Philadelphia Eagles, 48-22, last week while the Commanders are coming off a bye. The Commanders are in a unique position of playing the same team in consecutive games, something you rarely see on any level of football in the regular season.

Why the Giants can win

The New York Giants were one of the biggest surprises of the NFL after starting the season 7-2, but the past four games have resulted in three losses and a tie, a loss tonight to the Commanders really damages their playoff hopes. Through the first nine games of the season, the Giants were winning close games (all 7 wins were by 8 points or less) behind the great play of running back Saquon Barkley and an underrated defense led by safety Julian Love and defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. Barkley hasn’t topped 71 rushing yards during this 4-game winless streak and the defense has been getting shredded. Fourth year quarterback Daniel Jones (who the Giants selected 6^th overall in the 2019 draft) hasn’t taken that leap to stardom this season. It will be interesting to see what happens with him in the off-season. Highly touted rookie defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux (the 5^th overall pick in the 2022 draft) has also had an uneven rookie year due to injury and inconstant play.

Why the Commanders Can Win

The Washington Commanders were going nowhere fast after 4 straight losses put them at 1-4 to start the season. Inconsistent starting quarterback Carson Wentz then injures his thumb in an ugly, 12-7, Week 6 win at Chicago, Taylor Heinicke fills in for him the next week, and all of a sudden, the Commanders are in a great position to make the playoffs. The Commanders have gone 5-1-1 with Heinicke under center, he brought a spark to the offense that was missing with Carson Wentz. Wide receiver Terry McLaurin and the running back duo of Antonio Gibson and rookie Brian Robinson Jr are key players for the offense. The Commanders have one of the better defenses in the NFL led by defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne, along with defensive end Montez Sweat. The trio has combined for 23 sacks, each of them has at least 7 sacks.

The Pick

The Giants are 0-3-1 in their last 4 games, the Commanders are 5-1-1 in their last, they are the only team to beat the 12-1 Eagles, and should have a raucous home crowd at FedEx field, lay the 4.5…Washington 27, New York 17