Last minute Commanders News, reports, updates heading into Commanders Vs. Giants

After the loss to the Rams, Jayden Daniels was asked if this Commanders team was running out of time. His answer was six words. Next week is a must win, and that week is tonight. The Commanders are 2-5-1. They play at MetLife at 8:15 Eastern on Prime Video, against the Giants team that is 5-2-1 and leads the NFC East. And it's the same Giants team that tied them 27-27 on October 11th. If Washington wins tonight, there's a real chance for them to make it into the playoffs. But if they lose, it's hard to see the season be salvaged. This is why I'm going to break down everything you need to know heading into the biggest game of the Commanders year. Let's start with the table, because it's simple. The Giants are 5-2-1. The Commanders are 2-5-1. That puts them 3 games back, with a tie sitting in the middle of both records. And the frustrating part is how close the last two losses were. 23-17 in San Francisco. 20-13 against the Rams last week. That's 6 points and 7 points. The Rams game is the one that stings. Washington led 10-6 at halftime. They tied it at 13 in the third quarter, then Puka scored. It was 20-13, and the Commanders never got it back. Their last two drives ended in a turnover on downs and a fumble. Washington scored zero points in the fourth quarter. That's what this team has to fix tonight. So when Daniel says, must win, he is not being dramatic. This is a game where you look at the Giants and say, Hey, they're at the top of the division. A win tonight moves you up and moves them down. And remember, they've already been in the spot with these guys once. Their first meeting was 27-27. Daniels ran for 103 yards and two touchdowns that day. And the Giants scored 14 in the fourth quarter to force overtime. Daniels said after the tie, It's on me at the end. He has said he's the person on the field who's supposed to calm everything and control everything. Tonight is the chance to do exactly that. But who's actually out there with him? That's the next thing because it's changed all week. Here's the injury report, and I'll start with the good news. Jane Daniels was a full participant in practice with his left elbow. He's on the field tonight. The bad news is up front. Center Lucas Patrick has a concussion and is out. Tight end Colson Yankoff, with a knee injury, is out too. That means Nick Allegretti starts at center. Dan Quinn said so on Tuesday. Allegretti worked at guard last week, so this is a quick move for the middle of the line. Traylon Burks missed the Rams game with a foot injury. He was limited Tuesday, rested Wednesday, and the Wednesday report has him expected to play. Check the inactives about 90 minutes before kickoff because that's the final word. Cornerback Robertson hurt his ankle in the Rams game. Quinn said Monday he was optimistic Robertson plays tonight. I haven't seen an update today, but he's the one to watch. And of course, the name's already on injured reserves. McGlone, Tunsil, Payne, Kinlaw and Brown. That's a lot of starting talent in the building, and none of them are playing tonight. Now the Giants side. J.J. McCarthy had a hip injury, and Cam Skadaboo a hamstring injury, and neither has a designation. Both practice fully. The only Giant listed as questionable is linebacker Malik Harrison, with a groin injury. So, the Commanders are the more banged up team, and the Giants come in with a pretty clean report. Now, the real question is Can the people in this building answer the question? And Dan Quinn and the team spoke this week. Let's start at the top. The trade deadline passed and the Commanders stood pat. Adam Peters said calls were made on their players, they made some efforts, and those guys weren't moved. So this is the roster. There's no reinforcements coming. Whatever happens for the next eight weeks after tonight is all on the players in this room. Then there's the offensive line. After the Rams game, Daniels said, I think they battled. It's tough, and you're asking a lot of people to hold up and block Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett. Garrett had three sacks, a forced fumble in that game. And when Daniels was asked about the fumble, his answer was three words. Myles Garrett happened. Then the offensive coordinator, David Blough, is a first-time play caller, and Daniels called it growing pains. But he also said the offense is far ahead of where it was in the OTAs. It's a fair way to put it. You can look at it in two ways. This is an offense that is technically better, but they're just not finishing plays. And I think that's the point of this week. Nobody's hiding it. Quinn's message after the Rams game was they haven't nailed their complimentary football. And they said the Rams game felt like a gut punch. And that's where you can fix it tonight. Now the numbers. And the first one is the one fans already know. The Commanders are last in the NFL in third down conversion rate at... 31.1%. So half the yards came in the first three drives, and then it dried up. They scored zero points in the fourth quarter. But here's what makes it frustrating. The offense can move the ball. Against the Rams, they had 313 total yards, and 157 of those came on the first three possessions. Daniels himself has not been the problem. 300 yards in San Francisco, 217 against the Eagles. 274 against the Rams and has thrown zero interceptions this season. He has nine touchdowns this season, seven passing and two rushing, on a team that's been starved for weapons. And the weapon part is real. Terry McLaurin, who's on injury reserves, has 37 receptions this season. 30% of his targets go 20 or more yards downfield. And that's what his offense is missing. The tight ends are the other issue. Beat Writer Standing pointed out Bates, Sinnott, and Yankov have 13 targets combined in 24 games. So the plan is simple. Get Daniels moving, get the ball out, and win the third downs. And the other side of the ball is where the commanders can win this game. The commanders have 12 takeaways this season, tied for 8th in the NFL, and their turnover margin is plus 7. The Giants turnover margin is minus two. That's a 9 turnover gap on the one stat that decides close games, and this has been a close games team. Before the Rams game, the Commanders were 12-1 since the start of 2024 when they held a team to 20 points or fewer. The only loss was against Miami last year. So the formula is easy. Keep this Giants team to 20 or less, and it says in all favor of us winning. The Giants quarterback, J.J. McCarthy, last week against the Eagles, he was 12 for 19 for 127 yards, and Jamison Winston came in to relieve him. The Giants still won 19 to 11. So that's the Giants. They're not a team that overwhelms you. Their defense is ranked 10th in EPA per play. Their offense is 15th. They win the way the Commanders want to win. The Commanders' offense is in the bottom 12. The defense is 19th. So on paper, the Giants have the edge. But we've already seen this game once, and it ended 27-27. Here are the three things I'm watching tonight. Number one is third down. If the Commanders go from 31% to even a league average rate, the drives stay alive. Number two is the middle of the line. Allegretti is a quick move to center and the Giants are going to test him on the first drive and probably every drive after. Number three is the weather. The forecast for MetLife calls for rain a high near 60 degrees and north winds at 9 to 11 miles an hour. That makes the run game and the ball security matter more. And there's one more thing. Daniel said that this is a must win and I agree with him. And if the rest of the team does. This is not going to be a team that gives it away in the fourth quarter. My predictions? I think the commanders find a way. Daniels makes the plays he didn't make against the Rams, the defense takes the ball away at least once, and Washington wins a close one. Again, I'm not going to say this is an easy win, but this is a team, Daniels said the best way possible, this is a must win. And the rest of the team will rally behind this, and I want to know your predictions. Down in the comments, who gets the first touchdown? What is the final score? I love reading through each and every one of them. And if you want to stay up to date with everything to do around the Commanders in a big push to make the playoffs, hit that free subscribe button down below so you can stay up to date with everything to do around the team. And I also want to know, who do you think has the bigger night? Is it Jaden Daniels or Scataboo with the Giants? Let me know your thoughts and predictions down in the comments. I've been your host, Mark. Take care. I will see you in the next one.