The New York Giants were dreadful in their Week 1 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. The G-Men were playing at home. They were wearing fancy old-fashioned pajamas. Some people call them throw-back uniforms, but they looked like pajamas to me.
They were also taking on quarterback Sam Darnold, run out of the same stadium by New York Jets fans a few years before. And the Giants still managed to lose 28-6.
But here’s the thing about the Giants, the team that the Washington Commanders host in their home opener on Sunday. Even when they are dreadful, they manage to get the better of this NFC East rivalry fairly often.
They did it last year when the Giants swept the season series. They did it in 2022 when Washington had a shot at the playoffs before losing one and tying one against New York over three weeks. The Commanders did get them twice in 2021. But in 2020, when Washington won the division, they still managed to lose twice to their old foe.
Sunday’s game at the newly named Northwest Stadium may be even more important than the first home opener under general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn. It may be the equivalent of two division games in one.
Recent history suggests that whoever wins on Sunday will probably win the rematch in early November. That’s just been the nature of the recent Washington/New York series. Quinn can ill afford to start the campaign with two defeats. This will put his squad firmly on the back foot.
If the Commanders are going to send fans home happy in Week 2, they have to correct several key issues that cost them dearly against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. We’ve already discussed culprit No. 1 - the abysmal third-down defense. This largely falls on subpar play in the secondary, but there is more blame to go around.
I will not repeat the need for better play from the entire secondary. I’ll suggest a different issue that may be even bigger this week.
Here are three major problems the Commanders need to fix if they are to beat the Giants.
Commanders kicking woes bring another fresh face
Austin Seibert - you’re up.
Adam Peters cleaned house when he took over the moribund roster that had been assembled by previous head coach Ron Rivera. One of the players he dismissed was 2023 kicker Joey Slye - a long-time associate of the fired figurehead from their time together at the Carolina Panthers.
Slye has a big leg but was a little too inconsistent for Peters’ liking. We all know what happened next. Brandon McManus was supposed to take over but allegations with his previous team ended that plan before it even started. The Washington Commanders have been struggling to find a reliable option ever since.
Cade York was supposed to be the man. Peters even traded a conditional draft pick to acquire him instead of plucking someone off the waiver wire. That experiment lasted one whole week.
York missed both of his field goals against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and very nearly pushed his first extra point wide right as well. One of his kickoffs went out of bounds. The only silver lining was that his misses didn’t cost Washington the game. They were going to lose anyway.
The former LSU star is now gone. And the Commanders have their seventh-round pick back as he played just one game rather than the required two.
But against the New York Giants - who the Commanders should beat - a missed kick could be disastrous. Seibert, who was released by the New York Jets just before the season began, has made 80 percent of his field goals in the NFL but has been a journeyman over the last four seasons, bouncing from team to team as an injury fill-in.
He was a very talented kicker in college. After a decent offseason without ever really moving ahead of the Jets' undisputed No. 1 kicker Greg Zuerlein, Seivert will now have the chance to establish himself with a team desperate for some consistency.
For what it's worth, Slye made all three of his field goals for the New England Patriots in their close win last week. Oh yeah, and the guy Washington dropped before that - Dustin Hopkins - made his only kick, a 51-yarder, for the Cleveland Browns.
Enough said.
Commanders must get the ball to their wide receivers
There was a lot of concern about the Washington Commanders' wide receiver room going into this season. Had the team done enough to surround Pro Bowl pass-catcher Terry McLaurin with the necessary firepower? Those in power were confident, especially considering the impressive contribution made by some potentially dynamic options over the summer.
That worry was exacerbated by the shocking decision to part company with 2022 first-round draft pick Jahan Dotson shortly before the season - to the Philadelphia Eagles of all teams. But Adam Peters and Dan Quinn told fans not to worry.
None of us saw the master plan. You don’t need quality receivers if you never intend to throw the ball to them.
Washington wideouts saw 11 targets at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That’s for the entire game.
Running backs and tight ends had 13 targets. To put that in perspective, Tampa Bay’s receivers were targeted 19 times on quarterback Baker Mayfield’s passes. And recognize that Washington was playing from behind the entire game. Teams that are attempting to pull back a deficit almost always pass the ball downfield more than those who hold a lead.
That's just the way things work. Just see Eric Bieniemy's offensive approach last season as a prime example.
Washington took one deep shot. McLaurin was open but Jayden Daniels overthrew him. It came early in the second half. In the first half, the Commanders simply couldn’t get the balls to their fastest playmakers.
If the plays were called, something interrupted them. Either pass protection broke down or Daniels didn’t see the opening fast enough. Either way, instead of throwing, the signal-caller took off running.
Fortunately, he’s good at running, but that cannot be what this offense is built on. The Commanders have to get the ball downfield to its receivers if this offense wants to thrive.
Now that he’s had a chance to learn his teammates' names, we may see Noah Brown on the field against the New York Giants. That adds a different dynamic that could help Daniels be better in the passing game.
Commanders pass-rushers must wrap up Daniel Jones
I am not as worried about the Washington Commanders' suspect cornerback play this Sunday because the New York Giants do not have wide receivers as good as Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. But I am very worried about how easily quarterback Baker Mayfield avoided pressure in the pocket and extended plays with his legs.
That is the one thing that Giants’ signal-caller Daniel Jones is good at. And he usually seems to show off that skill best against the Commanders.
The Commanders’ pass rush wasn’t especially good against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but they did generate some pressure. They just couldn’t close the deal unless defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. sent the house. Jonathan Allen seemed to whiff on one potential sack and several other linemen grazed Mayfield in the pocket but couldn’t get him on the ground.
If Washington doesn’t get Jones on the ground, he will run them into the ground. He has done this to the Commanders throughout his career. He will be able to extend plays, which will elevate his average group of receivers. The Duke product will be able to run for first downs at crucial moments. That could be a huge problem.
Mayfield made the Commanders' pass rushers look inept. Jones is more dangerous than the former Oklahoma standout in this one particular area. Something that won't go unnoticed by Whitt and Dan Quinn during their preparations.
Getting close isn’t going to be enough on Sunday. The Washington defensive line and edge rushers have to get Jones on the ground. There is no other option in pursuit of success.
I didn’t include Washington’s offensive line’s recent struggles against the Giants’ pass rushers because Jayden Daniels’ mobility should help offset that potential problem. But if you want a bonus item, you can worry about that too.
For me, I’m just worrying about the first three. If the Commanders address them, they will win. If not, 0-2 is not the way any of us wanted to start.