The New York Giants (5-2-1), NFC East leaders, host the Washington Commanders (2-5-1) at MetLife Stadium on Thursday Night Football to kick off Week 10 of the 2026 NFL season.
Here are five storylines we're following before Thursday's kickoff.
Giants stood pat at the trade deadline
The Giants were said to be an aggressive buyer at the deadline, but they failed to make a deal. Nothing that presented itself made sense to them. The Indianapolis Colts were asking too much in return for star running back Jonathan Taylor, which scared off suitors, including the Giants, who pulled their offer. Big Blue was said to be interested in padding their defensive front, but no deal materialized there, either.
A win goes a long way
The Giants have a two-game lead in the NFC East over Dallas (4-5) and are 2-0-1 in the division.
A victory Thursday night does two things: It maintains the two-game lead and keeps them undefeated in the division, which would loom large in any tiebreaker down the road.
For any team to catch the Giants, they would need at least eight wins. That would mean Dallas has to split their remaining games, and Washington and Philadelphia would have to win six or more games the rest of the way. The way these teams' seasons are going, that is highly improbable.
J.J. and Skatt are a full go
Running back Cam Skattebo missed last week's 19-11 win down in Philadelphia with a sore hamstring. McCarthy started the game but got knocked out with a hip injury in the third quarter. He returned shortly after, but was clearly in pain. Without Skattebo and with McCarthy hobbled, the Giants averaged 2.6 yards per carry.
Head coach John Harbaugh said this week that Skattebo could have played last week, but they decided against it. He is ready to go for Thursday and practiced in full on Tuesday. McCarthy is expected to start after finishing the game on Sunday. It will be his first home start as a New York Giant.
Reese, a superstar in the making
The rookie linebacker had another eye-popping performance last week and has now crossed over into elite territory. Reese had 12 tackles, 3.0 sacks, and a forced fumble, becoming the youngest player since 1982 with three-plus sacks in a single game. He had nine tackles and a sack in the Week 5 meeting against Washington.
Harbaugh says Reese is "very coachable."
"He just says, 'You tell me what to do. What does the defense call for? What's my job?' He's going to be doing it 100 miles an hour every time, and it's just very, very cool and refreshing to see that, especially in such a young guy," the coach said.
Commanders' season on the brink
At 2-5-1, Washington's season will take a serious downward turn should they fall to 2-6-1. The players and coaches are calling it a "must-win."
From ESPN:
Mathematically the Commanders remain alive, but with nine games remaining, any realistic hope the team has for a strong finish likely begins and ends vs. the Giants on Thursday. A win and they would be two games back with eight to play and own the tiebreaker -- if that eventually mattered.
"We all know how badly we need this," Washington coach Dan Quinn said. "Everyone in this building understands that."
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants vs. Washington Commanders: 5 storylines to watch in Week 10
