.png)
You're going to want to stick around for this one. Zach Penrice and Kenny McDonald bring their thoughts together in this collab piece to get you ready for Week 2 action between the Giants and Commanders. Find a comfy spot in your humble abode and stick with us for the five minutes it takes to read. You won't be disappointed.
Away we go into Week 2!
Week 1 photos courtesy of Giants.com & Commanders.com
Nuts & Bolts
Date: September 15, 2024
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Northwest Stadium, Landover, MD
How to Watch: FOX
Matchup History: New York leads all time series 108-71-5
Last Meeting: New York def. Washington 31-19 on 11/19/23
Betting Lines: Via DraftKings
Spread: Washington -1.5
Over/Under: 43.5
Zach’s Prediction: Washington 33, New York 30
Kenny's Prediction: New York 24, Washington 20
Official Washington Game Notes: HERE
Follow Along on Twitter
Zach Penrice - DMV Sports: https://twitter.com/Zach_DMVSports
Kenny McDonald - Kenny “Football Guy”: https://x.com/Kmac6262
Head Coach: Dan Quinn (1st season, 0-1 record in Washington)
Record: 0-1 (0-0, 3rd in NFC East)
Last Time Out: Lost @ Tampa Bay 37-20 on 9/8/24
Highlights HERE
Player to Watch: Jayden Daniels
Zach’s two things to watch for on Sunday
Defense
A season ago, the Washington Commanders, under the direction of Ron Rivera, had the worst defense in the NFL. They gave up 63 more points than any other team in the league while surrendering the most passing yards of any team.
This led to the firing of Rivera and the hiring of first-year Head Coach Dan Quinn, who had led the vaunted Dallas Cowboys defense for the last three seasons.
In Quinn’s first game as head coach, many of the same defensive flaws that plagued the 2023 team were still apparent. The pass rush was lacking, only sacking Baker Mayfield once, while the secondary was consistently cooked, allowing 289 passing yards and 4 touchdowns from Mayfield, the most passing touchdowns of any quarterback in Week 1 and the fourth-most yards.
Most notably, the defense failed to force a turnover, which is perhaps the biggest reason why Quinn’s defenses thrived in Dallas; the Cowboys forced more turnovers than any team in football over his three seasons there.
On Sunday, against a familiar opponent for Quinn and the Commanders in the Giants, keep an eye on how the defense defends the pass and if it can force turnovers on perhaps the most turnover-prone quarterback in the NFL today in Daniel Jones.
Jayden Daniels
It was quite the debut for the rookie quarterback out of LSU. Jayden Daniels, the #2 overall by Washington in the 2024 draft, inarguably played the best of all rookie quarterbacks on Sunday, completing 17 of 24 passes for 184 yards while rushing for another 88 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns.
The young QB is far from the reason the Commanders lost the game. If the expectation is that Daniels and the offense should put up 40 points to win a game, it’ll be a long season in Washington. The Commanders trailed 30-14 early in the 4th but had put together four great drives up to that point, failing to score on two of them thanks to missed field goals by Cade York, who has since been released.
Overall, after watching the four NFC East teams in Week 1, it seems clear that the Commanders will be hard-pressed to earn a playoff spot in 2024. However, if I’m a Washington fan, I don’t think I’ve been this excited about my team since Robert Griffin III's rookie season in 2012. With Jayden Daniels commanding the offense for the foreseeable future, there are very bright days ahead in Landover.
Head Coach: Brian Daboll (3rd season, 15-19-1 record in New York)
Record: 0-1 (0-0, 4th in NFC East)
Last Time Out: Lost vs. Minnesota 28-6 on 9/8/24
Highlights HERE
Player to Watch: Daniel Jones
Kenny’s two things to watch for on Sunday
Daniel Jones
Last week was one to forget for Jones. He was downright atrocious, completing just 22-42 passes for 186 yards and two interceptions. One of those interceptions came on a horrendous read late in the third quarter, deep in Giants territory, where he tried to throw a quick screen to the right side. Andrew Van Ginkel, outside linebacker of the Minnesota Vikings read it like a book, picked Jones off, and took it back to the house. Six points for the Vikings just like that. Those are the types of plays that are inexcusable from a sixth year NFL quarterback. I feel like a broken record at this rate, but he needs to be better or sweeping change will ensue.
I believe that Daniel Jones’ future, not only as starting quarterback of the Giants but as a starting quarterback in the NFL, rides on his play against the Commanders this Sunday. This is one of the most important moments for him to prove that he is what the Giants expected, a guy worth $160 million. If things go sideways in week 2, Jones could be without a job come week 3 with the Giants most likely turning to back up Drew Lock the rest of the way.
The Commanders allowed 280 yards last week against Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers, good for fourth worst in the league. Daniel Jones has the opportunity to make up for last week’s dud but it could be a long road ahead if things go awry. I’ll leave it at this: Daniel Jones is 5-1-1 against the Commanders in his career and has played some of his best football against. We’ll see if he is able to bounce back and save his job in D.C. this week.
Brian Burns & Kayvon Thibodeaux
Brian Burns during practice this week // Photo courtesy of AP
Two of the most important pieces of the Giants defense need to make some noise against a vulnerable Commanders offensive line this week. Listen, the Vikings have a solid offensive line filled with seasoned veterans who kept them at bay in week 1, but the Giants traded for Brian Burns, paid him a hefty sum, and the expectation is for him to pressure quarterbacks and get them to the ground. In 2023, according to Pro Football Reference, Burns tallied 11 QB knockdowns and eight sacks. Shane Bowen preaches aggressiveness in his defense, and if that is the expectation this year, then Burns should be able to get back on track in week 2.
On Burns’ left is Kayvon Thibodeaux, the Giants’ 2022 top-5 pick. Per PFF, Thibodeaux graded out at a 38.9 with one QB hit in week 1. That is not great at all, and frankly concerning, given the talent that Thibodeaux brings to the table. The 6-5, 258lb edge rusher tallied 11.5 sacks in his sophomore season just a year ago. In his defense, he also started slow to begin 2023 tallying zero sacks and one QB hit in the Giants first two games. After that, he rattled off 8.5 sacks before the Giants bye in week 10. The talent is there for Thibodeaux, he just needs to shake off the week 1 blues and get back to doing his thing from the outside.
PFN ranked the Commanders offensive line as the worst in the league after week 1. To put it in perspective, the Giants week 1 opponent in the Minnesota Vikings ranked eighth. So Brian Burns, most likely matching up with rookie left tackle Brandon Coleman, and Kayvon Thibodeaux will have plenty of opportunities to get to Jayden Daniels and keep the Commanders offense in check.
Comments