The Washington Commanders meet the New York Giants on Sunday in NFC East action. The Giants went 1-0-1 against Washington last season, effectively ending the Commanders’ playoff chances after the Week 15 loss.
This time around, each team is likely to have a new quarterback. The Commanders have Sam Howell, who will make his eighth NFL start. Daniel Jones is New York’s quarterback, but it looks like veteran Tyrod Taylor will start in his place due to injury.
The Giants are 1-5 and have dealt with numerous injuries. Is New York much better than its record? Why has the defense struggled?
We spoke with Giants Wire managing editor Dan Benton to learn everything about the 2023 New York Giants.
Why has Daniel Jones struggled this year?
Giants Wire: Poor offensive line play, underwhelming ground attack, terrible clock management, drops, injuries, lack of wide receiver separation, poor field spacing, a busted internal clock due to the beating taken, and a regression in his field vision, likely due to the aforementioned beating being taken. Overlooked have been the snapping issues, the multiple centers and countless O-line combinations. It’s an impossible situation for any quarterback, and it’s gotten so bad that you can’t even analyze what you’re seeing on the field. From top to bottom, the offense is busted, and absolutely no one is playing at a high level. From coaches to players, everyone has regressed, and everyone is struggling.
Why has Jones had so much success vs. Washington?
Giants Wire: They’ve been New York’s weakest NFC East opponent for a long time, and that’s not necessarily a knock on Washington, just the reality of it. The Giants and Commanders have been largely relegated to dwelling in the basement for about a decade now, and the Giants, even before Jones, have simply managed to find a level of success against Washington. I think each year tells a different story, but similar to the Cowboys and Eagles owning the Giants in different forms and fashions, the Giants and Jones have owned the Commanders in different forms and fashions.
What OL combination do you expect to see on Sunday?
Giants Wire: Honestly, your guess is as good as mine. The injuries continue to mount; the signings average about one per day, and there are five O-Linemen on the injury report in addition to the three on IR. If I had to guess, I’d say Tyre Phillips at left tackle, Justin Pugh at left guard, Ben Bredeson at center, Mark Glowinski at right guard, and Evan Neal at right tackle. But Neal is going to be questionable, and if he doesn’t play, the entire unit will shuffle — likely with Pugh playing LT and Phillips playing RT.
Has Evan Neal been a disappointment?
Giants Wire: He’s been underwhelming but has actually played noticeably better in each of the previous two weeks. He’s still dealing with some footwork issues and high hand placement, but he’s done better in most other areas. Nothing in the way of All-Pro level play or anything but baby steps. At this point, given how poorly the offensive line has played, we’ll take that.
Strengths and weakness of the Giants defense.
Giants Wire: The Giants are weak against the run despite their many offseason additions. They are routinely gashed by the opposing backs, and there doesn’t seem to be any answers to those problems. You’d think with a guy like Dexter Lawrence on the inside, this wouldn’t be the issue it is, but here we are. They are also a very poor tackling defense, although that has improved a bit in recent weeks. As far as their strengths, there’s no one thing that leaps off the page and says, “This is where the Giants excel.” They’ve done well at creating turnovers the past two weeks, but they had zero takeaways in the weeks prior to that, so I’d stop short of calling that a strength.
Prediction
Giants Wire: As you noted earlier, the Giants seem to have Washington’s number. Even with everything being the mess that it is, I still believe the Giants somehow find a way to pick up their second win of the year. It won’t be pretty, and the game will be close, but I think New York just barely edges the Commanders out. Or at least I hope so. We don’t want another tie this week.
Giants 20, Commanders 17
