The Washington Commanders are 7-5 on the season and have won six of their last seven games. The Commanders have taken down the NFL’s top team and lost to the NFC’s No. 2 team on a field in the final seconds of their recent run.
But the most difficult part of Washington’s schedule begins Sunday with the New York Giants. It’s the first of back-to-back games against the Giants. Washington has a bye in Week 14 before hosting the Giants in a rematch in Week 15.
From there, the Commanders travel to San Francisco and return home to close the season against the Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys.
As for this weekend’s game against the Giants, here are five stats/facts to know for the battle between the two longtime NFC East rivals.
Giants run defense ranked No. 26
Washington’s path to success during its recent surge has been the running game. The Commanders aren’t breaking long runs every time they touch the ball, but instead, breaking the defense’s will. Washington is built to play outstanding defense and play ball-control offense. If that trend continues, the Commanders will be difficult to beat.
The Giants are built similarly to Washington. New York wants a ball-control offense with its franchise running back Saquon Barkley. However, the Giants aren’t stopping the run as successfully as Washington. The Commanders rank No. 8 against the run, while the Giants rank No. 26. Whichever running game has the most success likely wins this game.
Commanders look to win 3rd in a row over the Giants
Washington swept last season’s matchup against the Giants. However, that was against Joe Judge’s Giants. Head coach Brian Daboll has completely changed New York’s mindset.
The Commanders will be looking to win their third in a row over the Giants for the first time since 2000. While the Giants have two Super Bowl championships during that time period, this is a surprising stat, considering how bad both teams have been at times.
Since Week 6
The Commanders are the NFL’s hottest team, winning six of their last seven games. The Giants surprisingly began the season 6-1 but have lost three of their previous four games, including two in a row heading into Week 13.
Since Week 6, the Giants are 3-3. While those things have no bearing on what happens on the field, it’s important that Washington has improved as the season wore on. Are other teams catching up to the Giants? Or have injuries slowed down New York?
Daniel Jones vs. Washington
Daniel Jones is 4-1 lifetime vs. Washington. His numbers across the board are much better against the Commanders than his average against everyone else. Jones’ career passer rating is 85.4. However, in five games against Washington, his passer rating is 100.4. Jones has completed 68% of his passes vs. Washington, with nine touchdowns and only three interceptions.
Perhaps the most important stat for Jones against the Commanders is the 218 rushing yards in those five games. Jones is off to the best start of his four-year career in 2022, and that’s without a lot of offensive help outside of Saquon Barkley.
Barkley's splits this season
Saquon Barkley this year…
First 6 games: 5.1 YPC, 103 rush YPG, 25.8 receiving YPG
Last 5 games: 3.6 YPC, 75 rush YPG, 13.6 receiving YPG
— Pete Hailey (@PeteHaileyNBCS) November 30, 2022
As you can see, courtesy of Peter Hailey of NBC Sports Washington, Barkley’s numbers have gone down over the last five games. Washington’s defense, last week notwithstanding, has been outstanding over the same stretch. If Barkley’s numbers resemble the last five games, that puts more pressure on Jones — and that’s good news for the Commanders.
