Giants will try to avenge their Week 2 loss
The New York Giants return home to host the Washington Commanders in Week 9.
This is the first rematch of the season for the Giants, and a lot has changed since Week 2. Back then, the Giants were largely expected to steamroll a Washington team that was on the second game of a franchise-wide reset. Instead, the Giants lost despite not giving up a single touchdown and stumbled their way to a 2-6 record. On the flip side, Washington has sprinted out to an NFC East leading 6-2 record and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels is the frontrunner for Offensive Rookie Of the Year, and is even getting MVP buzz.
The Giants are (once again) underdogs at home, and the Commanders are favored to win by FanDuel sports book.
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Who does the Big Blue View staff think will win?
Tony DelGenio
This game pits two franchises going in opposite directions. The Commanders are the darlings of the NFL. The Giants may not even be the darlings of their own mothers. Washington should win. But here’s a secret: They’re not that good. No doubt, Jayden Daniels is the star of the 2024 draft class, and he has great chemistry with Terry McLaurin. Washington’s defense is solid up front though not the equal of Pittsburgh’s. The Commanders also now have good coaching. But if the Giants had elevated a healthy kicker in Week 2 and Tyrique Stevenson had actually played the final play rather than taunting the crowd last Sunday, Washington would be 4-4.
As in several other games so far, this will come down to Giants mistakes. It’s shocking how many they make, especially on offense. If it continues this Sunday, they’re toast once again. I’m going to guess that this is the week they finally cut down on the illegal shifts and formations, the false starts, the failures to set the protection properly. This is the week they avoid the air-mailed or wounded duck passes in scoring territory and actually score some touchdowns. This is the week Tae Banks finally starts to play like a Round 1 pick.
Pick: Giants
Chris Pflum
The usual caveat applies: This is a game the Giants can win. The fact of the matter is that there aren’t many teams that the Giants can’t compete with. However, my usual rule applies, too: I can’t pick the Giants to win until they actually show that they can consistently win.
I can see this game going one of two ways: Either the Giants offense finally breaks through and the Giants are able to pull off the upset, or the defense finally crumbles after trying to haul an albatross of an offense across the line — again.
The Giants’ defense has gelled since Week 2, but Washington has improved on both sides of the ball as well. The key to the game will be whether or not the Giants can slow down Washington’s running game without having to sell out. If they can keep a neutral box, they can use coverage rotations to try and confuse Jayden Daniels. But if Washington forces them into “pick your poison” situations, things could unravel fast.
Ultimately, I don’t think the Giants will be able to keep Washington out of the end zone again, so the offense will need to show up. It hasn’t done much of that this year.
Pick: Commanders
Nick Falato
This is a classic trap game for the Commanders. They’re on the road against a divisional foe who played them well earlier in the season, and they’re coming off an emotional Hail Mary victory against the Chicago Bears. I’m unsure how to quantify this, but Daniel Jones also performs better against the Commanders. New York, at least, looked competent against the Steelers on Monday Night Football, but it was Monday Night Football, so the Giants are on a short week, and they’re set to go to Germany for next week’s game. The travel issue does give me pause, and yes, the Giants are wildly uninspiring at home, but I expect them to pull off this upset victory.
Pick: Giants
David Hartman
I’m now 4-4 on my Giants picks for the season, and that’s because I’ve picked against them the last three weeks. I didn’t like doing that, but as a famous movie character once said, this is business, it’s not personal. Anyway, that trend ends this week, as I’ll take them as home dogs and I think they’ll get their first home victory of the season. The Commanders are due for a letdown after they somehow won on a Hail Mary pass that didn’t even reach the end zone – we need a term for that. In any case, the Giants should’ve beaten this team in Week 2 and if they can cut down on all the stupid illegal shift, illegal procedure, and delay of game penalties that keep putting them in worse down-and -distance situations, I think they’ll be able to move the chains and score points. The Commanders’ defense has come a long way but they’re still a unit that can be had, and hopefully the Giants will have Tyrone Tracy, Jr., who has been terrific and added a much-needed spark. I think the Giants will show up and show some pride in front of their fans, many of whom are licking their wounds after the horrors of Halloween came a night early for the Yankees.
Pick: Giants
James Hickey
This is the definition of a trap game for Washington this week. They are coming off a miraculous Hail Mary(land) win against Chicago, a team that is experiencing success for the first time in a generation, a young quarterback playing a team for a second time the first time in his career and they are on the road. Throw in if not for a kicker blowing out his hamstring on the game’s opening kickoff, the Giants should have probably won the game —a true sliding door’s moment for what is looking to be a disastrous season New York.
Can the Giants capitalize on a Washington team maybe looking past them with Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Dallas on the horizon? Yes, I believe it. Except for the games against Minnesota and Philadelphia, they Giants have been very competitive this year (which has made this season even worse in a way). This is the week they find a way to win the game.
Pick: Giants
Valentine’s View
I would like to pick the Giants to win. I really would. I agree with Dexter Lawrence that there is enough talent on the roster that the Giants should be better than they are. But, they aren’t.
The Giants are there own worst enemy, with unforced errors week after week. Hordes of unforgivable pre-snap penalties some weeks. The second-most dropped passes in the NFL. Misses and miscues by the quarterback. Game day roster management decisions that have proven costly.
I don’t know for certain that is a referendum on the coaching staff, but lack of discipline and attention to detail usually is. Game day decisions are on the coach and front office.
The Giants don’t consistently win the line of scrimmage. The run defense is the worst in the league, and with Andrew Thomas out for the year the pass protection is leaky.
I think this, like many of the games the Giants have already played and lost, is a winnable game. I don’t think the Commanders are a juggernaut. I think that sooner or later the Giants will play a game in which their offense clicks. I have to believe they will eventually win a home game. That might be this week. I just won’t pick the Giants to win.
Pick: Commanders
