It is the most important stretch of the season for the Giants. They started on the right note by beating the Eagles 19-11, but now they face the Commanders on Thursday night. It is the biggest opportunity they have had in years. A win over Washington would give the Giants a four-game lead over both the Commanders and the Eagles. With how much both teams have struggled, it will be nearly impossible for them to catch up. The Giants will only have to worry about the Cowboys catching them for the division.
This is also the first time this coaching staff will play a divisional opponent for the second time. Of course, every Giants fan remembers the 27-27 tie between the two teams back in Week Five. It’s a game that looked like the Giants would lose, but thanks to Jayden Daniels forgetting how the clock works, they forced a tie. This game will demonstrate this coaching staff’s ability to make adjustments. How they tweak the game plan they had in Week Five and still let the Giants come away with the victory. Here is what you should watch for.
How Will the Injury Affect JJ McCarthy
JJ McCarthy just had his gutsiest performance in a Giants uniform. Sure, it was not pretty, with him completing 12 of 19 passes for 127 yards. But he was under pressure all day and constantly getting sacks. The worst moment came when Zack Baun delivered a big helmet-to-hip hit that injured McCarthy. At that point, it seemed unlikely McCarthy would return. He fell to his knee in pain when warming up on the sideline. But after a trip to the locker room, he came out and finished the game. Gaining a lot of respect among fans.
While McCarthy was able to finish the game, that does not mean he is fine. He has been limited in practice with what is believed to be a hip pointer. He says he is going to play, but there’s concern about how this injury will affect him. Will he be able to move as well as he usually does, or scramble when needed? Is he also going to be afraid to take a hit and make a bad throw when under pressure? These are things that could hold back the Giants offense and lead to a similar offensive performance as the game against Philly.
A Chance At Redemption for Cam Skattebo
The lowest moment of Cam Skattebo’s NFL career came in Week Five against the Commanders. With two minutes left in overtime, the Giants had the ball at the Washington 24-yard line. All they had to do was run out the clock and kick a field goal. But Skattebo coughed up the ball, giving the Commanders the ball and ending any chance the Giants had of winning the game. This fumble was the reason that Skattebo only played six snaps against the Saints the following week.
This game is Skattebo’s chance to right the wrong. A big performance will make everyone forget about the fumble and is the perfect redemption story. It will also help him rebuild his case to be the running back one going forward. Sure, he missed last week’s game against the Eagles with a hamstring injury, but he had a great showing two weeks ago against the Texans. If Skattebo is able to have a similar performance, there should be confidence he can handle being the running back one for the rest of the season.
Can the Giants Defense Contain Jayden Daniels
One of the biggest problems the Giants had in that Week Five matchup was an inability to contain Daniels. He completed 17 of 25 pass attempts for 199 yards. But the bigger issue was Daniels legs, which the Giants had no answer for. On his nine rushing attempts, he gained 103 yards and two touchdowns. It was the main reason why the Commanders jumped out to such a big lead. Mobile quarterbacks have been a bit of an Achilles’ heel of the Giants, as last week Joe Milton rushed for 64 yards.
Defensive coordinator Denard Wilson will need to come up with a plan to keep Daniels contained. Whether that’s putting a QB spy on him or switching from man coverage, something needs to be done in order to keep Daniels from running all over them. If they are able to keep Daniels in check and play as they did against the Eagles, it will be a long day for the Commanders’ offense. It will mask any potential problem the offense might have and should put them in a position to win.
