Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels didn’t mince words when discussing the importance of Thursday night’s clash with the New York Giants.
“Yeah,” Daniels said. “I think next week is a must win.”
Daniels said that right after Sunday’s loss to the L.A. Rams, yet another one-score game that got away.
The Commanders have been backed into a corner, with essentially no margin for error after finishing the season’s first half (essentially) at 2-5-1 despite several opportunities for better.
The NFC East is
in the dumps and currently paced by the Giants, who have five wins to their credit despite using three quarterbacks to this point.
The Commanders must close the gap and find a way to win on Thursday night. If they don’t, their season’s essentially over. That’s why Daniels called this a must-win despite the fact it’s just Week 9.
This is a big one. There’s no arguing that. So Washington will need the best performance of the season in this one, with key contributions being mandatory from these five players (not named Daniels)
Let’s examine which guys must step up and why heading into the biggest game of the year:
TE Chig Okonkwo
Washington’s tight end is starting to heat up, with an increased target share and production from that in recent weeks. Chig Okonkwo is a dynamic threat in the middle of the field and someone who gains tough yards after contact. Considering injuries at receiver, it’s easily argued that he’s the No. 2 receiver regardless of what his position says.
He had four catches for 60 yards on six targets last time these teams met and he needs to have another big day as a man-coverage beater. He’s a matchup problem, and designing plays to get him the ball early could lead to a huge day.
C Nick Allegretti
Lucas Patrick was ruled out of this game while in the concussion protocol. The Commanders will replace not him with Matt Gulbin, who filled in Sunday after Patrick got hurt. They’ll go back to their original starting center in Nick Allegretti, who lost his job and moved to guard after a summer filled with injury setbacks and underperformance.
Now they’ll need him to captain the line, make the right calls and checks and help the run game succeed working on the interior, where it has struggled in recent weeks. No pressure, Nick.
That’s a tough assignment heading into a massive game, but it’s as vital as any on an offense that has struggled to find consistency in run production and pass protection.
CB Trey Amos
It’s no surprise that the Commanders secondary is better with Trey Amos and safety Nick Cross in it. Those are two massive upgrades in terms of talent and consistency. This will mark Amos’ fourth game back. While he’s always better than the alternative, he wasn’t quite as good in a loss to the Rams.
Washington needs the best version of Amos in this Giants game. Malik Nabers went off in the previous meeting, to the tune of 11 receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown on 20 targets. That was part of a four-game run exceeding 100 yards.
Amos didn’t play the Giants and Washington doesn’t shadow receivers, but the Amos/Nabers matchup will be one to watch whenever their lined up across each other.
LB Frankie Luvu
The veteran always plays with his hair on fire, but his aggressiveness has turned into steady production on the interior. He had 15 combined tackles and a sack and two quarterback hits against the Rams.
He has improved as a blitzer in this system and formed a solid partnership with Sonny Styles in the middle. They’ll be key to slowing the Giants’ running game and are physical enough to handle Cam Skattebo’s aggressive style.
EDGE K’Lavon Chaisson
The Commanders need better from their four-man rush, and that should start with their best pass rusher. K’Lavon Chassion was passionate about Washington’s need to improve quickly and win Thursday’s game. He must lead with his play on Thursday night and make the types of game-changing plays he’s capable of while helping Washington’s defense continue trending in the right direction.
Which Commanders would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments below:
