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Commanders vs Giants Preview: Giants Pass Rush
The Giants have built a very strong defensive line that can rival any defensive line unit in the NFL. Dexter Lawrence is one of the premier defensive tackles in the league, while they also have a stable of edge rushers that all come with significant threats. Brian Burns is one of the more consistent sack artists in the NFL and is the big name on the edge for them, but they also have two younger pass rushers that shouldn’t be overlooked.
The Giants used their third
overall pick on Abdul Carter out of Penn State. Carter has been often compared to Micah Parsons in play style and he gives the Giants a versatile piece that can rush from multiple spots. In the preseason, we already saw glimpses of the threat Carter brings to the Giants defense.
It’s not just Carter and Burns you have to watch out for on the edge either. The Giants also have Kayvon Thibodeaux that they drafted with the fifth overall pick back in 2022. He had a bit of a down year last season but is a very dangerous rusher in his own right.
Commanders.com
Practice notes | Commanders’ new secondary faces first test in Malik Nabers
The Washington Commanders’ secondary went through heavy renovations during the offseason, and the group will face its first major test in Week 1 when the New York Giants come to Northwest Stadium: finding a way to contain second-year wideout Malik Nabers.
Defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. wants to let the results speak for themselves, but he believes the group is up to the task.
“We’ve been really sticky [in coverage],” Whitt said. “We’ve challenged in press [coverage] and been more of what I envision of our secondary being.”
Nabers, who led the SEC in receiving yards and receptions while playing with Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels at LSU in 2023, presents unique challenges for defensive backs. He has the size (6-foot, 200 pounds) to be physical with players downfield to make contested catches, but he can also run short and intermediate routes as well as pick up yards after the catch. The Commanders got an introduction to that skill set last season in Week 2, as he caught 10 of 18 targets for 127 yards and a touchdown.
Whitt said “we’ll see” whether the Commanders are better equipped to handle Nabers, but it is worth noting that the Commanders built their new secondary with stopping some of the league’s top receivers in mind. Both Lattimore and Amos have a reputation for performing better in man coverage.
Washington Post (paywall)
Deebo Samuel Sr. is ‘a dog.’ The Commanders are excited to see him bite.
The Commanders acquired Samuel, who is entering the final year of his contract, for a fifth-round draft pick. Their hope is that he will rebound from a 2024 season hindered by illness and provide a stronger receiving counterweight to McLaurin.
While they haven’t had tons of practice time together, McLaurin said he has been blown away. He called Samuel “a dog” and stressed, “I don’t use that term loosely.”
“When he’s out there on the field, you feel his energy, you feel his presence when he touches the football,” McLaurin said. “You see guys are maybe a little bit hesitant to come up and make plays on him because of how physical he is with his yards after the catch and his ability to lower his shoulder and make guys miss.”
One of Sunday’s most interesting subplots will be how Samuel is used. Though the wideout did play in the preseason, he was on the field for all of four snaps, and his only touch was a 19-yard rush on a jet sweep.
The running back rotation is still a bit of a mystery, but don’t expect it to match what’s listed on the unofficial depth chart. After trading Brian Robinson Jr. to San Francisco last month, the Commanders enter Week 1 with Austin Ekeler listed as the starter, followed by Jeremy McNichols, Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Jacory Croskey-Merritt, in that order.
That’s on paper, though. The actual breakdown of carries and roles is a bit of a mystery. Kingsbury said it could depend partly on who has the hot hand.
Heavy.com
Commanders’ Kliff Kingsbury Opens Up on ‘Big Hype Train for Ole Bill’ Croksey-Merritt
Croskey-Merritt was forced to miss the rest of the [2024] season, but he never wavered in his commitment to the team. “To stay at Arizona and just rep on practice squad every day when you’re in college, like I wouldn’t have done that,” Kingsbury said. “I would’ve gotten a job or done something else. I don’t like football as much as [Croskey-Merritt] does, apparently,” he said with a chuckle.
“So for him to do that, go to an All-Star game, and then just kinda earn the reps, like he can’t get enough. He wants to know about it, wants to practice, he’s always trying to get to the front of the line, and so that’s been really cool to see. We’ll see how it all goes, but yeah it’s a big hype train for ol’ Bill.”
Those strong words from Kingsbury are a positive sign for Croskey-Merritt, but even with Robinson no longer on the roster, it’s a crowded depth chart in Washington. Chris Rodriguez and Austin Ekeler are sure to be factors as well, and it might take some time for Croskey-Merritt to earn a featured role. But clearly, the coaching staff loves him.
The Athletic (paywall)
The Commanders’ turnaround has brought back fans — and dollar signs
Washington’s ownership group, led by managing partner Josh Harris, has poured more than $120 million into the team’s practice facility in both Northern Virginia and at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md., since purchasing the franchise for $6.05 billion from previous owner Daniel Snyder in July of 2023.
The investment alone is a significant departure from years past, when Snyder invested minimally in the facilities (a turf field, original to the 33-year-old practice facility, was finally pulled up and replaced by a grass field last year).
Among the owners’ priorities was canvassing players and staff on the changes they wanted most at the facilities and in the overall operations. Many of the issues were also shared in the NFL Players Association’s annual surveys about team workplaces, where Washington finished last in 2023 and 2024.
Harris and his limited partners — who include Danaher Corporation co-founder Mitch Rales, D.C. venture capitalist Mark Ein and NBA legend Magic Johnson — took the results to heart.
The team also brought in improved recovery equipment, including a larger sauna and a new steam room. The bottom floor of the team’s practice facility has been revamped to add a nutrition bar with made-to-order drinks and smoothies, supplements and snacks, plus an expanded athletic training room with state-of-the-art recovery technology.
The team…built a new draft room, which it named after former GM Bobby Beathard, and put up a larger indoor practice bubble.
The team made infrastructure improvements at its stadium while also installing new lockers, updating signage in the parking lots, renovating roughly 20 executive suites, and transforming the Loge Suites above one end zone into new suites called the Legacy Lofts.
“It was a labor of love this summer. We were hustling to get the new locker room done, a new bubble up, do all of the coaches’ and meeting room areas, the training area,” team president Mark Clouse said in a recent interview with The Athletic. “These were not easy projects, because you’re trying to do them in a way where you’re not disrupting the operations of football. It was a really great example of a team effort between the business side and the football side to get this accomplished.”
For years, the team had slowly removed seats from its home stadium because of plummeting demand. Now, the Commanders are reversing course.
This year, the team added a net of 1,500 seats, primarily in the upper deck, to bring the stadium capacity to around 64,000. It essentially restored seating in one upper corner of the stadium and has the potential to add seating back to the other corners.
Riggo’s Rag
It took one game for Dante Fowler Jr. to expose why the Commanders gave up
Although Fowler’s 10.5 sacks and 44 pressures were encouraging, his ability against the run leaves a lot to be desired. His 50.0 run defense grade from Pro Football Focus ranked 169th out of 210 qualifying edge defenders. The No.3 overall selection became a liability, and the Commanders couldn’t trust him to provide the production needed.
Unsurprisingly, this glaring flaw was evident during the NFL’s season opener between the Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night. Fowler’s inability to set a clean edge came to the fore early. He struggled to create leverage and looked sluggish in pursuit of the ball carrier. There was one quarterback hit during the game, but no tackles.
This was a depressingly familiar feeling for Fowler. It’s a problem he’s had throughout his career and shows no signs of improving. Jones’ initial delusional projection that Dallas’ run defense would set the tone without Parsons didn’t bear fruit. The Eagles got what they wanted, gaining 158 rushing yards and three scores on the ground.
Podcasts & videos
Josh Conerly vs. Abdul Carter Film Breakdown (Oregon OT vs. Penn State Edge)
(Note: This is a Giants fan pre-draft focusing on Abdul Carter; Conerly shown in every play, but is not the focus of the breakdown — he describes Conerly as having done “a fairly decent job” against Carter. At the time of the breakdown, it was not known where the two would be drafted, though Carter was assumed by many to be headed to New York)
Daron Payne + Santana Moss on New York Giants & Ring of Fame | Next Man Up | Washington Commanders
NFL Week 1 Game Preview and Predictions: New York Giants at Washington Commanders
Jason Kelce FILM BREAKDOWN 🎥 + WHAT ARE WE DOING ⁉️ | Monday Night Countdown
(The Kelce film breakdown on Conerly begins around the 1:11 mark)
NFC East links
Big Blue View
OC Mike Kafka will call plays for Giants
New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll finally admitted on Thursday what has been obvious since OTAs began in the spring — offensive coordinator Mike Kafka will resume play-calling duties this season.
Daboll confirmed as much during a brief session with media. Kafka, in his fourth season as the team’s offensive coordinator, was the play-caller during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Daboll assumed that responsibility last season after the Giants went 6-11 in 2023 and finished 30th in the NFL in points scored.
It didn’t help.
The Giants went 3-14 last season and were 31st in the league in points scored.
ESPN
Lamb shoulders blame for Cowboys’ loss after drops vs. Eagles
“Man, that’s terrible,” he said in the locker room. “Honestly, I feel like I can’t point no finger at anybody else.”
Lamb had three drops, including two in the fourth quarter that prevented the Cowboys from pulling off an upset on the night the Eagles celebrated last season’s Super Bowl championship.
During training camp, Lamb, who had seven drops last season, said one of the goals he had for 2025 was to go through the season without a drop. His first came in the second quarter and prevented the Cowboys from scoring a touchdown on three straight possessions to start the game, forcing them to eventually settle for a Brandon Aubrey field goal.
With 2:40 to play, Lamb had his most crucial drop — his third — as the Cowboys were looking for a go-ahead score. Prescott perfectly placed a deep pass in Lamb’s path, but it bounced out of his hands harmlessly, leaving Lamb shocked.
Had he made that catch, the Cowboys would have had the ball inside the Eagles’ 20 and had not been stopped in the red zone in their two first-half attempts.
[Lamb] said. “I need to catch the damn ball.”
Bleeding Green Nation
Eagles vs. Cowboys: The good, the bad, and the ugly
Carter now carries the great distinction of being the first player in NFL history on a defending Super Bowl champion to ever be ejected in a season opener. Carter smirked as he walked off the field. Maybe he just doesn’t get that spitting on someone whether it is in the toy department of the NFL or in real life is a disrespectful, heinous act.
Carter, who had three unnecessary roughness penalties during the 2024 season, which was tied for the most in the NFL, did not seem to grasp the weight of what he did.
“It was a mistake on my side and it won’t happen again,” Carter said after the game. “I feel bad for teammates and the fans that were here. I’m doing it for them, but I’m doing it for my family also. The fans showed the most love. It won’t happen again. I don’t try to do anything out of the ordinary. I don’t think I did anything that Dak provoked.
Carter also said that he had no spoken to Sirianni yet, and he did not appear to be contrite.
Blogging the Boys
Dak Prescott offered more context on the Jalen Carter spit situation
The NBC broadcast showed Dak Prescott spitting himself before Carter did, but Prescott clearly directed his towards the ground. Only Dak can speak to his intent, but it feels pretty fair to conclude that it was part of what NFL players do all the time throughout any given game.
Is it possible that Carter could have taken that as some sort of insult? Sure. As many have pointed out though, Carter was almost in the Cowboys huddle when this whole back and forth went down. If he were in his proper place then no spit ever gets near him. It is wild that we are talking about spit this much.
NFL.com
Cowboys-Eagles in 2025 NFL Kickoff Game: What We Learned from Philadelphia’s 24-20 win
Eagles’ offense bogged down late as Brown barely avoids goose egg. Early in the game, Jalen Hurts was calmly picking Dallas apart like it was a 7-on-7 drill, and when he wasn’t doing that, he was gutting the Cowboys with his scrambling. Even with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith having little impact, the Eagles were moving the ball with ease early. But the hourlong lightning delay also appeared to come at the worst time for the Eagles, with rookie linebacker Jihaad Campbell forcing a massive turnover against ex-Eagle Miles Sanders in the red zone just prior to play being stopped. After play resumed, the Cowboys forced the first of three straight punts, including two three-and-outs. Brown played 54 snaps, ran 23 routes and yet saw nary a target until catching an 8-yard pass to put the game away in the final minute. But the Eagles really hit the wall offensively in the second half, seeing Will Shipley go down in the first half and Landon Dickerson in the second, failing to return after the delay due to a pre-existing back injury. Was the weather to blame? Perhaps. The Eagles will relish the mini-bye after a tougher-than-expected opener.
Cowboys D struggled initially without Micah, then made multiple stands. In their first three defensive series after trading Micah Parsons, the Cowboys allowed three straight touchdowns. Hurts had all night to throw in the first half, with the Cowboys — mostly rushing four — generating only two pressures in the first 30 minutes. The Cowboys were losing contain badly on the edge and overpursuing, taking poor angles to the ball and missing tackles. The Cowboys struggled defensively last year with Parsons out with injury, with their pressure rate, sack rate and passer rating allowed all worse when he was off the field, so Thursday’s early struggles were not a complete shock. But Dallas defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus started bringing more pressure in the second half, and the results were shockingly good. Even if you argue the field conditions muddled things up, the Cowboys ratcheted up the pressure significantly after halftime, allowing only 86 yards and three points. It’s too bad they couldn’t unleash that kind of pressure early. What kind of defense do the Cowboys have? We don’t yet know, but it’s far too soon to write them off.
Eagles defense got stops when needed, but they were stressed. The Jalen Carter penalty seemed to cast a pall on the Eagles’ defense early on. The Cowboys moved the ball readily on their first five drives, with four scores and a Miles Sanders fumble in the red zone. That was a heck of a play by rookie Jihaad Campbell in his NFL debut. Much like the Cowboys, the Eagles looked more competent defensively after halftime — and after the rains reemerged. But they also committed 110 yards in penalties, nearly all of them on defense. With Carter out, Jordan Davis was forced to play 50 of the 56 snaps. Even after losing more than 30 pounds this offseason and making a few plays, he also looked gassed at times. The Eagles also had issues with their corners opposite Mitchell, rotating Adoree’ Jackson and Jakorian Bennett. Mitchell had to rotate over to covering Lamb in the second half — and Lamb still had chances to make plays. We knew the Eagles’ defense would take time to adjust following some offseason losses, and the second half was encouraging, but there are some trouble areas to address.
