5 pivotal games that will define the Washington Commanders 2023 season
By Glen Rorie
Commanders vs. NY Giants - Week 11
On paper, out of the three Washington Commanders' NFC East rivals, the New York Giants are probably the weakest of them. It says a lot considering all teams besides Ron Rivera's men made the playoffs last season.
The reason the Giants matchup ranks higher than the Philadelphia Eagles is that they are the only divisional team Washington did not defeat last season. The Commanders split games with both the Eagles and Dallas Cowboys, but not Brian Daboll's squad.
However, with the Giants, they lost one game to them and tied another. Two frustrating matchups because they were both winnable games for the Commanders.
In the Week 13 match in 2022, both teams missed crucial field goal attempts in the fourth quarter.
In Week 15, the Commanders had an opportunity to potentially tie the game late. Unfortunately, their touchdown was called back due to an illegal formation penalty on Terry McLaurin, which then led to a turnover on downs, ending their comeback chances.
Since taking over the helm of the Giants, quarterback Daniel Jones has a record of 5-1-1 against the Commanders. The last game Washington won against the Giants was back on Sept. 9, 2021, which came after re-kicking the game-winning field goal after an offside penalty on Dexter Lawrence.
The two Giants' losses halted the Commanders' chances of the postseason last year. This game late in the season may hold the same implications.