The New York Giants and Washington Commanders kick off Week 10 of the NFL season Thursday night at what promises to be a rainy, chilly MetLife Stadium. Can the Giants solidify their NFC East lead, or will the race for the division title tighten? Here is how the Big Blue View staff sees that game, and the rest of the Week 10 matchups.
Chris Pflum
Which version of the Giants will show up on Thursday night?
Will we get the sloppy Giants that came out flat against the Philadelphia Eagles, or the tough, physical, and
technically sound Giants that showed up against the Houston Texans? John Harbaugh’s 9-1 record home record on Thursday Nights is encouraging.
I would say that this is a game the Giants should win on paper, particularly with Washington missing some of their best players and their starting center in the concussion protocol. However, I’m also not convinced that these Giants can play a normal game and just take care of business. I keep waiting for the Giants to play a complete game and execute on offense and defense, but this team seems unable to be both consistent and explosive.
I hope the offensive line comes prepared to bully an injured Washington defensive line and J.J. McCarthy isn’t forced into low percentage throws every third down by long yardage situations. Likewise, I hope that Dennard Wilson comes out swinging on defense, but also has a counterpunch ready in case Jayden Daniels has an answer to the Cover-0 blitz.
I’m picking the Giants here, but they can’t afford to take Washington lightly or give Jayden Daniels the chance to catch his breath and swing the game.
Pick: Giants
Tony Del Genio
This is the Giants’ second consecutive must-win game. You wouldn’t think that when 5-2-1 plays 2-5-1, but (1) the Giants haven’t beaten the Commanders since Jayden Daniels became their quarterback (even though Daniels didn’t play in one of those losses), (2) despite their record, Washington has beaten the Seahawks and only narrowly lost to the 49ers and Rams while the Giants were beaten soundly by the Rams, the only good team they’ve faced, and still have the 49ers and Seahawks coming up, along with the Jaguars and Lions. A division loss greatly weakens their hold on the NFC East lead, their only real path to the playoffs.
Terry McLaurin is out for the season, but in his place is Stefon Diggs, who did not face the Giants in the first game. Jacory Crosky-Merritt, who beat the Giants’ run D for a 33-yard TD right off the bat in the first game, is also out. The Commanders are further decimated by injuries since their last meeting to key starters such as DT Daron Payne and IOL Lucas Patrick. So really the Giants should prevail. The problem is…containing the running of Daniels, which they did not do well in their first meeting (103 yards, by far his highest of the season, and his only 2 rushing TDs of the season). Hopefully Dennard Wilson will have a plan for that. If so, and if the Giants execute it, then the Giants can win.
Pick: Giants
David Hartman
The rematch of the NFL’s only tie game of the season will be played in prime time on Thursday night, and for the ninth time in nine games, the Giants are playing a team that doesn’t have a winning record. But you can throw the records out the window: The 5-2-1 Giants, at home, are just 1.5 point favorites over the 2-5-1 Commanders. Go figure…
Big Blue won with defense and a strong kicking game on Sunday in Philadelphia, with Arvel Reese perhaps becoming a star in real time. It was an ugly win, with the offense producing just 19 points. The Giants will need more than that against Jayden Daniels and company on Thursday night. Cam Skattebo is expected back, and that’s good news. New York couldn’t run the ball on Sunday, which stagnated their offense. Right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor (calf) might miss this game, however, and the O-line struggled at Philadelphia as it was.
J.J. McCarthy wasn’t terrible on Sunday, but he wasn’t especially good either and now he’s dealing with a hip pointer. Jameis Winston led New York on its only touchdown drive while
McCarthy was temporarily knocked from the game. McCarthy hasn’t thrown a TD pass (or an interception) in either of his two starts.
This figures to be a close game, just like the first one. It’ll be fun to watch standout rookies Reese and Sonny Styles — college teammates at Ohio State last season — leading the way for each defense. Seriously – how did anyone score on the Buckeyes? Anyway, Dennard Wilson needs to find a way to keep Daniels from gashing his defense with his legs. He ran for 103 yards and two scores in the first game.
This game could come down to intangibles like turnovers and special teams. The G-Men have been winning (or tying) close games and that’s a reflection on good coaching to a degree, and favorable luck. In a game that should be close, who am I to pick against that?
Pick: Giants in a squeaker
Valentine’s View
We are not picking games by the spread here, but I am surprised the Giants are just 1.5-point favorites. That indicates a continuing lack of real belief in the Giants in the betting market. The Giants understand the opportunity they have in front of them, and how important this game is.
In the rainy, windy, miserable conditions at MetLife Stadium Thursday evening I think you have to expect what has become a typical Giants game this season — close, somewhat sloppy, decided by who makes the plays and who properly handles the situations at the end of the game.
I have far more faith in the Giants to do that than I do the Commanders.
We all remember the Commanders stunning clock mismanagement at the end of the Week 5 tie with the Giants. That sort of questionable decision-making has continued to plague Washington, which is 1-3-1 in games decided by one score.
If you could the Arizona game, which I do since it was decided on the game’s final play, seven of the Giants eight games this season were one-score games. The Giants are 5-1-1 in those games. They have lived on the edge, and have shown an ability to survive.
Is that formula sustainable forever? Maybe not. It does, though, make me feel good about the Giants’ chances on Thursday.
Pick: Giants
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