The New York Giants hit the road to face the Washington Commanders on Sunday at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland.
The Giants, of course, took down the Commanders last month for their second (and last) win of the season.
However, Big Blue are heavy underdogs given the way they have played in recent weeks, and with Tyrod Taylor and Daniel Jones both out due to injury, they will once again start rookie Tommy DeVito.
Here are three causes for concern heading into Sunday’s Week 11 divisional matchup.
Heavy underdogs
This isn’t the same matchup from earlier in the season when the Giants played their most complete game, picking up their second win against their division rivals.
This time the Giants are on the road, the defense hasn’t played well in the previous few weeks, and they are down to their third-string quarterback, Tommy DeVito. Because of this, the Giants are double-digit underdogs entering Sunday.
The Giants might very well be one of the worst, if not the worst teams in the NFL given the way they have played in the previous few weeks. This won’t be a similar game to the one four weeks ago between these two teams, and the oddsmakers know that.
Sam Howell
The Giants’ defense has not been very good since the collapse against the New York Jets a few weeks back.
Since the last time the Commanders and Giants met, Big Blue also traded away Leonard Williams.
Sam Howell has been trending up all season long and leads the league in passing yards heading into Week 11. He had one of his worst performances against Big Blue when the two teams met last month. Chances are the Giants will not get another poor performance from Sam Howell this time around.
Injuries mounting
The Giants are about as banged up as a team could be. Their top two quarterbacks and their No. 1 tight end (Darren Waller) are on injured reserve and their Wednesday practice report saw more than a dozen names.
Among those missing practice are linebackers Kayvon Thibodeaux and Bobby Okereke, cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, and right tackle Evan Neal.
Cornerback Deonte Banks, running back Saquon Barkley, and left tackle Andrew Thomas were among those listed as limited participants.
