Any preview of the NFC East often sings the praises of the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys. The Eagles are the class of the division right now, a model organization led by general manager Howie Roseman.
The Cowboys consistently have outstanding talent on both sides of the ball but often come up short in January. Yet, Dallas is almost always in the mix in the NFC East.
Then there are the Washington Commanders and New York Giants. The Giants were the NFC’s surprise team in 2022. Under first-year coach Brian Daboll, the Giants made the playoffs and earned a trip to the NFC Divisional round. This offseason, New York’s primary focus was to sign quarterback Daniel Jones to a long-term deal and find him some offensive playmakers.
Mission accomplished after adding tight end Darren Waller and wide receivers Jalin Hyatt [NFL draft] and Parris Campbell [free agency].
The Commanders and Giants battled in a pair of high-profile games late last season, significantly impacting the NFC playoff race. The first game ended in a tie, and the second game featured multiple controversial calls that went the way of New York, and the Commanders lost.
New York would make the playoffs, while Washington come up short. While Washington had the more talented roster, the Giants finished third in the NFC East.
What about 2023?
Emory Hunt of CBS Sports discussed the over/unders for the NFC East teams in 2023. When the talk turned to the Giants and Commanders, Hunt offered the following analysis:
“The Giants and Commanders are the same team,” Hunt said. “Ron Rivera is 3-3-1 against this Giants football team under three different coaches. They play the same game; they tend to split right down the middle.”
New York’s over/under was 7.5, which Hunt predicted the under on. The over/under for Washington was 6.5, and Hunt predicted the over.
Hunt was asked if he thought Howell could lead the Commanders to the over on 6.5 wins.
“I think he can; I will go over this number,” Hunt said.
Hunt offered the following analysis of Washington:
“I like the fact that this team has an elite defense,” Hunt said. “Their defensive front four, we talk about that ad nauseum, offensively I think they have better receivers pound for pound than the Giants. Quarterback is a question mark, and you wonder which offensive line you’re going to get. I feel like this is a team when you add in the depth at quarterback, you factor in Jacoby Brissett and Sam Howell, who is kind of like Daniel Jones in terms of he is a dual threat; the missing piece right here is Eric Bieniemy and what he’s going to bring to this offense.”
The Commanders and Giants are similar in some ways. The Giants did upgrade the offensive talent this offseason, while Washington is banking on Howell being an improvement over every other quarterback Ron Rivera has started since taking over in 2020.
That’s not an extremely high bar, which should encourage Washington fans.
There are a lot of similarities between the #Giants & #Commanders, and I try to find the differences between them and what could separate the two this upcoming season👇🏾 pic.twitter.com/EMtigXk7MI
— Emory Hunt (@FBallGameplan) July 2, 2023
