After an extremely disappointing performance in Week 1, the New York Giants will travel to take on a familiar opponent in Week 2 — the Washington Commanders.
With improvements needed on offense, defense, and special teams, the coaching staff will need to make plenty of adjustments ahead of Sunday’s game.
While the Giants will be seeing a very familiar team and one they have dominated in recent memory, Washington’s rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels will be facing off against the Giants for the first time — a team he will get to know very well in the coming years.
With both teams coming in at 0-1 and hoping to get back to .500 on Sunday, here are three causes for concern for the Giants entering Week 2.
Lack of confidence
As the Giants saw last year, the season can get away from a team in a hurry. The Week 1 performance provided no bright spots on either side of the ball, nor did either of the Giants’ new play callers show any sign of being prepared.
Daniel Jones had an abysmal performance he would like to forget as did the rest of the team. The Giants were one of just two teams to not score a touchdown in Week 1 and the only team held under 10 points.
On the other side of the ball, they had trouble getting any sort of pressure on Sam Darnold, who was able to sit back and pick the defense apart.
The Giants have little to build off of from Week 1 and will need to put that behind them in a hurry.
Facing a mobile quarterback
Jayden Daniels showed in his debut that he’s not afraid to run, carrying the ball 16 times for 88 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Traditionally, the Giants have struggled against mobile quarterbacks and will most certainly need to keep an eye on the threat Daniels presents as a scrambler.
The Giants have plenty of talent on defense even if it didn’t show in Week 1. Shane Bowen’s unit will have a chance to redeem themselves on Sunday.
The new play-callers
The Giants’ Week 1 performance left plenty to be desired. It’s not just the players who need to be better, but the coaching staff as well.
The Giants defense, led by new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen, had no answer for Sam Darnold and the Vikings’ offense, making Darnold look like a Pro Bowler who had his way all game long.
In Brian Daboll’s first game calling plays on the Giants’ offense, the team put up just six points and had trouble moving the ball down the field. For a team that spent plenty of time talking about throwing the deep ball, the Giants had just one pass over 20 yards and it wasn’t due to a lack of separation by their receivers. The play-calling was, at best, suspect and will need improvement ahead of Week 2.
