Back in June and early July, HH veteran writer Bill-in-Bangkok, offered a week-by-week preview via the 5 O’Clock Club of the Washington Commanders regular season schedule for 2026. As we roll into the actual games during the regular season, Hogs Haven will revisit each of these previews with John Portis adding additional thoughts and updates as we go inside the matchup to get you ready for every opponent the Commanders face in 2026.
Date/Time: Thursday, November 12th, 2026 | 8:15 p.m. ET Location:
MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey)
The2-5-1Washington Commanders have a short week before taking on the NFC East-leading New York Giants (5-2-1), on Thursday Night Football. While Sunday’s loss to the Rams dissolved any positive feelings surrounding Washington’s win over Philadelphia, the good news is the Giants barely scraped by that same team on Sunday with an ugly score of 19-11. A win on Thursday night would hand the Commanders the tie-breaker against the G-Men and narrow their division lead to only two games with 8 games left in the season.
Things have changed significantly since the two teams met in Week 5, and J.J. McCarthy is now the Giants starting quarterback. The 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, J.J. is 2-0 as a starter and proven to be clutch when called upon for Big Blue. McCarthy is 5th in the NFL in third-down completion percentage at 71.4% since Week 7. On the opposite side of the matchup, Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders have a bottom of the league third down conversion rate of 31%.
Running back Cam Skattebo was briefly on the outside looking in, but returned to John Harbaugh’s good graces with a 124 yards on 17 carries performance in Week 7 against the Houston Texans. He leads the Giants with 418 rushing yards on 98 carries(4.3 ypa), and is projected to be available for Thursday’s game after missing the last two weeks with a hamstring injury. Malik Nabers has continued his standout performance since his breakout game versus the Cardinals earlier in the season. Nabers had 36 receptions for 509 receiving yards and two touchdowns last month and was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for October. After struggling briefly, tight end Isaiah Likely has developed a strong on-field connection with McCarthy, and the duo connected for 5 receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown versus the Eagles. The Giants currently rank 14th in total offense.
The Commanders are reshuffling things yet again after center Lucas Patrick suffered a concussion on Sunday, and the team is returning to Nick Allegretti at the pivot Thursday night. While that in and of itself should be concerning for Commanders fans, defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson just deployed a variety of pressure looks aimed at the center and guard positions against the Philadelphia Eagles last week.
Arvell Reese has been on a tear recently, and the first-round rookie is the only NFL player with 65+ tackles, 8+ TFL, and 1+INT on the season thus far to go along with 4.5 sacks. The Giants lost linebacker Tremaine Edmunds in Week 6, but replacement Micah McFadden has stepped up and also played well with 9 tackles, 1 sack, 2 TFLs, and a fumble recovery versus the Eagles.
Once considered a liability, the Giants’ secondary has been one of the team’s strengths in 2026. New York ranks among the league’s best in total takeaways (9) and interceptions (6), five of which came from Giants defensive backs. Safety Jevon Holland has been playing at a high level and leads the team with three interceptions on the season. The Giants are ranked 5th in total defense.
The interior of the Giants’ offensive line is questionable and could be where the Commanders’ defense can attack New York’s offense, even without starting DTs Daron Payne and Javon Kinlaw. The Giants allowed 4 sacks and 11 pressures to the Eagles defensive line in Sunday’s matchup and are tied for 27th in sacks allowed with 27 total on the season. Nick Cross and Trey Amos were out with injury during their first meeting this season. Their return to Washington’s secondary for the team’s second meeting should go a long way in preventing repeat performances from Malik Nabers and Isaiah Likely. The development of defensive coordinator Daronte Jones should help prevent another late game collapse. The addition of Steve Wilks to the defensive coaching staff is another positive development towards that goal.
The true question marks for Thursday night surround David Blough and the team’s offensive line in a game that quarterback Jayden Daniels has declared is a must-win in order to keep the Washington Commanders season alive.
Betting Lines
Point spread: Commanders +1.5
Point total: 43.5
Opening odds for the Commanders have them as 1.5-point road underdogs against the New York Giants. The Over/Under opens at 43.5 in a game expected to be low scoring with the home team barely favored.
