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Riggo’s Rag
Jayden Daniels can silence the sophomore slump noise in Commanders’ Week 1 clash
Throughout the offseason, most of the attention in Washington has been on star wide receiver Terry McLaurin. The second-team All-Pro finally got his high-priced contract extension
after a dramatic standoff, and both sides are ready to move forward. Still, he’ll need to back it up by showing he hasn’t lost a step on the field.There is also running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who became a quick fan-favorite over the offseason. He impressed throughout camps and preseason, with Washington
even trading away starter Brian Robinson Jr. in part due to his emergence. Everyone is curious to see if he’ll play a role after being listed No. 4 on the running back depth chart.
But let’s not overthink this: the most important player on the 2025 Commanders is second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels. That’s not up for discussion.
Though he is by no means the whole team, this squad will go as far as Daniels takes it. The worst thing that could happen to Washington’s season is that he suffers a dreaded sophomore slump, much like C.J. Stroud did a year ago with the Houston Texans.
Skeptics have used Stroud’s slight regression as justification for pumping the brakes on Daniels. This is outright lazy given that they are two entirely different quarterbacks — and that the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner is significantly better. The Ohio State product had an impressive first season, but it paled in comparison to what Washington’s No. 2 overall pick accomplished last fall.
Daniels will need to prove he’s more than just a flash in the pan. If he struggles in Week 1 against the New York Giants, it will be a long week in Washington as the peanut gallery does their victory laps. But he can also do the best possible thing by lighting up the stat sheet and scoreboard, perhaps even throwing his name into the ring as an early NFL MVP candidate along the way.
Big Blue View
Giants-Commanders: What to expect when Washington has the football
I expect a heavy RPO and quick horizontal passing attack with a healthy dose of the running back by committee on the deck to temper Dexter Lawrence, Burns, Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux. Washington was almost even in 2024, with 3×1 and 2×2 usage, and often worked with 11 personnel (62% of the time).
The Giants will likely employ a lot of nickel, and they’ll have their hands full with the talents of Jayden Daniels. I do expect the Giants to use Abdul Carter as a spy, but that will only be situationally; Carter’s ability to get after the quarterback from every angle should be his primary usage. With that said, New York MUST watch out for Daniels’ legs, as they attempted to do in Week 9 but failed to execute upon in Week 2.
Kingsbury has a successful rushing attack. Most of their runs are out of shotgun or pistol with a mesh-point to keep backside defenders honest. There’s also a lot of movement and misdirection on the offensive line and PONY (two running back) formations to further confusion. Kingsbury should use the ground game to slow down the Giants’ pass rush and to out-possess New York; that’s why an early lead from the Giants’ offense would severely assist the Giants’ defense.
I expect a heavy dosage of Samuel as the No. 2 (inner) receiver, or the No. 3 in 3×1 sets, to be used on bubble screens to facilitate yardage to keep Washington ahead of the sticks. The Giants’ secondary defenders — their linebackers, safeties, and Dru Phillips — must be efficient tacklers; this may be the defining feature of the game.
Suppose Washington employs a quick passing attack against off-leverage defenses, with a sound ground game, and the Giants miss their makeable tackles. In that case, Washington will be in a prime position to tire out the defense and secure a win. Avoiding third and long situations, or other obvious passing circumstances, depending on game script, is crucial for Washington.
Big Blue View
Giants at Commanders, Week 1: What to expect when the Giants have the ball
The presence of rookie cornerback Trey Amos stands out on the Commanders’ depth chart. He’ll be starting opposite Marshawn Lattimore, which could be significant for a couple reasons.
First and foremost, he’s a rookie and will likely be matched up against either Malik Nabers or Darius Slayton. And while Amos was experienced at the collegiate level and was one of the best corners in the SEC last year, he is still a rookie in his first real NFL action. He has good size and long speed, but has some hip stiffness as well as a tendency to either get grabby at the top of routes or give up unnecessary separation.
Secondly, the Giants may have insight into Amos’ tendencies thanks to backup quarterback Jaxson Dart who was his teammate last year. Dart both played with and practiced against Amos at Ole Miss, and could offer advice on how best to attack him. Conversely, if Washington rolls help Amos’ way it could create opportunities to isolate Lattimore in coverage-beating concepts on the other side.
It’s also worth noting — though perhaps not plan for — that Amos seemed to stick to one side of the field in the preseason. He played left cornerback against the New England Patriots, then right cornerback against the Baltimore Ravens. It remains to be seen whether Marshawn Lattimore will travel with receivers. If not, it could allow the Giants to isolate Amos or force preferable matchups down the field.
NFL.com
Giants rookie QB Jaxson Dart could make debut vs. Commanders with package of plays
The Giants have prepared a package of plays for their first-round rookie quarterback in the game plan for Sunday’s regular-season opener against the Washington Commanders, sources say, after three impressive showings from Dart in the preseason convinced the team he’s ready for regular-season action.
There’s no guarantee head coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka will employ the plays for Dart, who completed 32 of 47 passes for 372 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions in the preseason. Much will depend on game flow, situational strategy and how starter Russell Wilson performs in his first game as the Giants’ starter. But the plays are ready to go if needed and Dart is the No. 2 quarterback ahead of Jameis Winston, which allows the rookie to enter and exit the game in a way he wouldn’t be able to if he were listed as the third, emergency quarterback.
The Athletic (paywall)
Dianna Russini: What I’m hearing
Russell Wilson is the starter, and he has the confidence of his teammates and coaches. But that hasn’t stopped the Washington Commanders from preparing for rookie Jaxson Dart entering Week 1. This past week, the Washington defense schemed for both quarterbacks — just in case Daboll decides to give the rookie some live action. We might not actually see Dart on Sunday, but the Giants have been throwing everything at him, treating him almost like a starter.
NFL.com
2025 NFL Week 1 bold predictions: Malik Nabers ties single-game receptions record
Matt Okada
Programmer, Fantasy Content
Malik Nabers ties NFL single-game receptions record.
No player has hit 20 receptions in a game since Brandon Marshall set the record (21) back in 2009. That will change on Sunday when Nabers ties Marshall’s record against the Commanders. In two meetings with Washington last season, Nabers saw absurd target rates of 69.2 percent and 40.7 percent from Daniel Jones. Now in his Year 2 opener, with Russell Wilson under center, and in a play-from-behind contest against Jayden Daniels, Nabers will turn all that attention into the third 20-catch game in NFL history.
Eric Edholm
Lead Draft Writer
Abdul Carter has BIG debut against Commanders.
I’ll stop short of saying the Giants will beat the Commanders. But I believe we’ll leave this game raving about Carter as one of the special, young defenders in the league — already. The third overall pick of this year’s draft is going to have a big first game with at least one sack and a turnover forced.
Washington Post (paywall)
For years, Washington was an NFL dumpster fire. Now, it’s a destination.
Why is there so much optimism around the Washington Commanders? “It’s the attitude. It is the people. It’s the space.”
“I think it’s the culture,” [Von] Miller said. “They got a great team. Great leadership. They’ve got a stud at quarterback. The defense is solid, too. It’s a great place.”
It’s a great place. Think about that statement from someone who could have played elsewhere, from someone who chose Washington. It simultaneously makes complete sense and is somehow still stunning. And it’s a reminder of so many important elements about things that were wrong for so long but seem right in the moment.
These Commanders feel as if they have answers. That’s because they won 12 regular season games and made a run to the NFC championship game. But it’s because the place feels fundamentally overhauled, too. What a combination.
So get to that gossipy circle. “A big weight around the league” is Ekeler’s way of acknowledging that players know. And they talk. They know which executives and coaches and ownership groups treat players well. They know which franchises don’t. That matters when calls go out to free agents. Harris and Peters and Quinn now have reputations — and, at least in these still-early days, they’re glowing.
There’s no overstating the difference in vibes in the new room, which is part of the $120 million Harris and his partners have sunk into both the Loudoun County facility and Northwest Stadium in Maryland. The lockers in Ashburn are plush and comfortable. They have storage areas under the seat and in the armrests and above their heads. There are phone chargers. The nameplates look like billboards. They’re almost mini-offices. For those of us who have been going into that space for more than a decade, it made heads spin.
Does that automatically translate into more wins? No. Does it make Washington a more desirable place to work? Absolutely.
Podcasts & videos
New York Giants vs Washington Commanders | Week 1 Game Preview
NFC East links
Big Blue View
How bad is the Giants’ run defense?
The Giants’ defense as a whole had the 10th best Run Stop Win Rate last year. They were right between the Los Angeles Rams (11) and New York Jets (9), and were only one point behind the Philadelphia Eagles (3rd).
That’s pretty much in line with the efficiency numbers. Per Pro Football Reference, the Giants’ defense provided -7.19 expected points added (EPA), which ranks 17th in the NFL. It also which puts them just behind the Los Angeles Chargers who had -5.14 EPA. Both numbers were slightly better than the league average of -10.5 EPA.
So why were the results so dramatically different?
The first part, as I talked about above and have written about before, is that the Giants’ didn’t consistently finish.
The Giants actually did a good job of “winning” their run defense snaps and putting themselves in position to suffocate opposing running games. However, they allowed far too many leaky yards. Poor tackle attemps leading to broken or missed tackles kept the average high and the yards piling up. But as I mentioned, that DID improve over the course of the year, and the defenders did a better job of disrupting runs then making tackles when Shane Bowen pivoted to calling a more aggressive, penetrating defense with Elijah Chatman and Elijah Garcia as his starters once Dexter Lawrence went down.
For the other part of the equation I want to look at the Detroit Lions.
The Lions had the fifth-best run defense in the NFL last year, allowing just 1,672 yards (98.4 per game) last year. Obviously you’d expect a team with Super Bowl aspirations to give up 40 fewer yards per game than the lowly Giants.
What you might not expect is that the Lions allowed 4.5 yards per carry and had an EPA of -19.57, significantly worse than the Giants’ efficiency numbers.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, another great defense, allowed 1,672 yards (98.7 per game) on the ground and an EPA of -3.68, which is only a bit more efficient than the Giants were.
“Hol’ up,” you might say, “that math ain’t mathin’.”
Well, the missing bit of context is that the Giants faced a significant rate issue.
Of the top 10 run defenses in the NFL in yards per game, seven of them were in the Top 10 of scoring offense: Lions, Ravens, Buccaneers, Eagles, Packers, Vikings, and Broncos.
The LA Chargers (117.5 rushing yards per game allowed) were just outside the top 10 in scoring at 11th.
And of the top 10 in run defense, 9 were in the top 10 of fewest rushing attempts against and seven of them were in the top 10 of most passing attempts against.
In other words, the teams with the NFL’s most prolific offenses saw the least rushing attempts.
The Giants averaged 1.45 points per drive last year, less than half the 3.04 averaged by the Lions, and 0.62 points per drive below the NFL average of 2.07 per drive. That, coincidentally, would slot in just behind the Atlanta Falcons who saw the NFL’s 16th most rushing attempts against (458) and gave up the 15th most rushing yards (120.6 per game).
Oh, and the Falcons gave up 4.5 yards per carry last year.
The Giants, meanwhile (averaging that pathetic 1.45 points per drive) saw 503 rushing attempts against, which was tied for the sixth-most in the NFL.
They need to figure out how to force offenses to run less, and the answer seems to be for their own offense to score points. It isn’t a coincidence that the best offensive teams face more pass attempts and fewer run attempts.
Big Blue View
Survey results – Giants fans are expecting a close game
Giants fans are expecting a close game, and a win
We asked the Big Blue View community whether you think the Giants will win for our first Reacts survey of the regular season. And perhaps we’re still in the afterglow of an encouraging off-season, but fans are optimistic heading into the first game.
[A]s things stand now, fans have ample reason to be confident. The 2024 draft class appears to be an excellent one with a star in Malik Nabers and contributors in every round. The 2025 class might have yielded a potential star in Abdul Carter and a Franchise Quarterback in Jaxson Dart. It’s possible that Cam Skattebo, Marcus Mbow, and Thomas Fidone II could all be gems as well.
Bleeding Green Nation
Eagles rooting guide for NFL Week 1 games
NEW YORK GIANTS at WASHINGTON COMMANDERS: I believe the Commanders are going to take a significant step back this year but they still have a better outlook than the Giants do. Washington is currently the bigger threat to the Eagles repeating as division champions. Root for the Giants.
NFC PLAYOFF PICTURE
DETROIT LIONS at GREEN BAY PACKERS: Which team do you think is the bigger threat to the Eagles winning the No. 1 seed in the NFC? I’d argue it’s the Packers but it’s very close. Root for the Lions.
Bleeding Green Nation
Eagles open up roster spot by waiving Kenyon Green
The Eagles originally acquired Green in March by trading C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans. The 2022 first-round pick struggled to impress this offseason, leading to the Eagles waiving him on August 26.
Green signed to Philly’s practice squad on August 27. Then the Eagles promoted him to the roster on August 31 after putting Willie Lampkin on injured reserve. Green was a healthy scratch behind eight active offensive linemen in Week 1.
One would think the Eagles wouldn’t be waiving Green if they were seriously worried about Landon Dickerson, who left Thursday night’s game early due to injury.
One would also think that the Eagles have another roster move coming now that they have an open spot to work with.
Blogging the Boys
Grading Cowboys HC Brian Schottenheimer in Week 1
[I]t is hard to ask anything more of Brian Schottenheimer in his first game as a head coach and play-caller in the National Football League. The Cowboys were in prime position to beat the defending Super Bowl Champions, and many people’s favorites to win the NFC again in 2025, on the road, just a few days removed from trading their best player. If CeeDee Lamb is able to haul in two of the four football’s that he should have or the Matt Eberflus led defense has better success in the first half, we would be talking about the Cowboys winning one of their more impressive games as a football team in the last decade plus.
Blogging the Boys
Everything changed for the Cowboys in Philadelphia right before the lightning delay
A lot of people are going to be critical of Miles Sanders’ fumble and that is certainly hard to deny. Turning the ball over so close to the goal line with points seemingly in hand by way of Brandon Aubrey is a recipe for disaster.
The Sanders fumble actually came the very play before the delay was called, but let’s turn our attention to the one right before that.
It was 3rd and 22. Jake Ferguson was the target for both Dak Prescott and, as it turned out, Reed Blankenship. Blankenship hit Ferguson in the head area and was called for unsportsmanlike conduct. The penalty gave Dallas a fresh set of downs and Sanders fumbled.
You can make the case that was not a penalty from Reed. It seemed like things were happening quickly and we have all seen a moment where we wondered what a defender is supposed to do when things are that fast. Imagine if that hadn’t been a penalty. but just an incompletion on third down. Dallas would have trotted Aubrey out on fourth and forever and he would have tightened things up 24-23. Then the delay would have happened.
The Cowboys touched the ball three times after the delay and failed to score at all as we have noted. You do have to wonder though how things could or would have gone if all they had needed was a field goal as opposed to a touchdown.
[BiB comment: I can’t help but think that if the flag had not been thrown and the Cowboys had had to settle for a field goal, we might be reading an article today that claimed the Cowboys would have scored a TD and taken the lead if only the penalty had been called.]
