Here’s everything you need to know about Commanders vs. Giants from Big Blue View’s perspective.
It’s Week 7 of the 2023 NFL season and the 3-3 Washington Commanders will be facing a 1-5 Giants team in the Meadowlands.
Washington has had an up and down season, but the Giants have had a wretched one, coming quickly back down to earth after their playoff season in 2022. Which Giants team is the real one? Is Daniel Jones the future of this franchise? What are some bright spots on this team?
To learn more about these and other issues, I asked Ed Valentine of Big Blue View five questions about the state of the Giants and what to look for in this game.
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1) As someone who was fully on board with giving Brian Daboll the Coach of the Year award at the end of the last season, this year looks to me like a textbook case of regression to the mean for a team that wildly overperformed in 2022. In your view, which record is more reflective of what this team is capable of, and what’s the root of the disparity?
If your readers want my full thoughts on this question they should read my ‘building, not built’ piece that was posted at Big Blue View this week. I think overall the Giants exceeded expectations a year ago, and that perhaps led people to think the Giants were farther along in terms of their build/rebuild than they actually are.
They went 7-2 over their first nine games a season ago. Since that time they are 4-11-1. That’s 11-13-1 overall. THAT is what I really think they are right now. A middle of the road team that is building, capable still of seven or eight wins this season if things go well — but capable of a three- or four-win season if things don’t turn around. They have had massive injuries and issues on their offensive line that have rendered their offense non-functional. Saquon Barkley missed a bunch of games. Daniel Jones is now hurt. It’s been a mess, and the Giants don’t yet have the depth to overcome it.
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2) Now six games in, having signed both Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley to very healthy contracts, what are your thoughts on those deals? Do you think there was ever serious consideration about letting Jones test the market last offseason?
First, I would say the Giants signed Jones to a healthy contract. They franchise-tagged Barkley, so that is nothing close to what the running back wanted.
There was NEVER any consideration of letting Jones hit the market. GM Joe Schoen said from his season-ending press conference on that Jones would be the QB in 2023 one way or the other — contract or tag. He was not going to be allowed to hit the free agent market.
I know things have been ugly for Jones so far. His play hasn’t been good, but the circumstances around him (as they have been most of his career) have been awful. No Barkley most of the time. No Andrew Thomas, the team’s best offensive lineman. Several other OL injuries. Lack of progress from 2022 No. 7 overall pick Evan Neal at right tackle. Jones has been hit on 46.2% of his dropbacks — only Justin Fields of the Chicago Bears has been hit more often. He has scrambled out of the pocket a lot. His internal clock is screwed up and he’s not playing well. And now he’s hurt.
I still think the Giants did the right thing. Quarterback is more important than running back, and you have to take care of that spot first. Also, many people misinterpret the contract the Giants gave Jones. It has only two years of guaranteed money, and is really a two-year “prove it” window for him to show whether or not he can build on last year — when he was really good.
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3) For all of the Giants’ struggles this season, your defense looked like the real deal against the Bills. What are its strengths? When they’ve had trouble this year, how have they been exploited?
I would say the strength is defensive tackles Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams, along with Bobby Okereke at linebacker. Kayvon Thibodeaux, Adoree’ Jackson, Deonte Banks and Xavier McKinney are good players. This is a Wink Martindale defense, and Wink loves to pressure. He has, though, also shown a willingness to adjust and play coverage. You can never be sure as an offense what you are going to get from Martindale.
You probably want to probe the edges of the Giants defense, both in the run and pass game. Make them set the edge, and make them tackle in space. They haven’t done either consistently.
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4) Tell us a bit about one player, both on offense and defense, who we might not know about, but who you think we should. Who excites you in terms of their potential?
OFFENSE: This is hard because the Giants have played so poorly on offense all season. The player who excites everyone is wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, the team’s third-round pick. He has DeSean Jackson type game-breaking ability with easy speed. The Giants just haven’t been able to take advantage of it the way you would like yet because of the mess their offense has been. The hope is that Hyatt can be more than Jackson, more than a speed guy. Everyone wants to see if he can become a well-rounded receiver, and there have been some encouraging signs.
DEFENSE: I have to talk about a guy Commanders fans should know well. The Giants were jumping for joy when they were able to trade up in Round 1 and land Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks. He has been really good, and even spent some time shadowing Stefon Diggs of the Bills on Sunday. He looks like he is going to be a very good player.
5) What are you expecting the final score of the game to be this week? DraftKings Sportsbook has the over/under set at 39.5. How many points do you expect to be scored overall?
Honestly, I would take the under. The Giants haven’t scored an offensive touchdown since Week 3. Giants fans will hate me, but I am going to pick Washington to win a close game. The Giants offensive line is still a mess, and they will be starting their seventh different group in seven games on Sunday. Daniel Jones is probably not going to play. The Giants can win this game and need to win it. I’m just at the ‘show me’ stage.
Thanks again to Ed for taking time out of his day to answer our questions about the Giants. Be sure to check out Ed’s companion piece over at Big Blue View.