In Week 11, the Giants will travel to Landover, Maryland, to face the Commanders for the third time in a row.
The two teams met in Week 7 at MetLife Stadium, with the Giants winning 14-7 over their division rival. The Giants then dropped their next three games to the Jets, Raiders, and Cowboys, but will look to snap their losing streak against a Commanders team they haven’t beaten since Week 18 of the 2021 season.
Washington is coming off a close loss to Seattle, which won 29-26 on a 43-yard field goal by Jason Myers as time expired.
While the Commanders are 2-3 in their last five games, each of their three losses has been by a single point.Here are five storylines to keep an eye on during the NFC East matchup.
1. DeVito will start over.
The Giants are playing their second game without both Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor. Undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito started in their place against the Cowboys. The rookie, 25, completed 14 of 27 passes for 86 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception while also rushing seven times for 41 yards (5.9 average). Coach Brian Daboll announced on Wednesday that DeVito, who was listed as limited with a left shoulder injury on Wednesday, will start under center again this Sunday.
“He’s a good, young quarterback to work with, so you know, try to improve him this week from last week…” Daboll made the announcement to the media on Wednesday. “He did an excellent job. Improving, he’s a young player, a young quarterback, so there’s a lot to learn. We’ll see if we can get him better than he was last week this week.”
With the Giants trailing early in both of their last two games, running back Saquon Barkley has seen less playing time than in previous weeks. Barkley has only run the ball 13 and 16 times in the last two games after averaging 27 rush attempts per game from Weeks 6-8, including a career-high 36 carries against the Jets.
. While his touches were lower than usual, his efficiency increased significantly. Barkley has averaged 5.4 yards per carry on 14.5 rush attempts over the last two weeks. This weekend in Washington, the Giants could rely heavily on the sixth-year running back.
2. Regaining control of the defense
The Giants’ defense has struggled in their last two games after holding the Bills, Commanders, and Jets to 14 points or less in three consecutive weeks. The unit allowed 30 points to the Raiders in Week 9 and 49 points to the Cowboys last week. It was the most points allowed by the Giants since 2017. Furthermore, the Cowboys’ 640 total yards of offense were the second-most allowed by the Giants, and their 32 first downs tied for the third-most by a Giants opponent.
When it comes to getting off the field in critical situations, the unit is still among the best in the league.The Giants rank eighth in the NFL in third down defense (35.4 percent) and third in fourth down defense (36.4 percent).
The Cowboys have one of the best offenses in the league, especially in recent weeks. Washington’s offense isn’t quite as difficult, but it has been on a roll over the last month and a half. Aside from the loss to the Giants last month, the Commanders have scored at least 20 points in each of their six games since Week 4, averaging 25.3 points per game.
3. The most recent developments on the offensive line
The offensive line for the Giants has changed a lot this season. Injuries have resulted in different starting lineups in almost every game this season, as many starters have missed multiple games. However, the Giants’ starting lineup appears to be the same for the second week in a row heading into Week 11.
Let’s start with the unit’s anchor, left tackle Andrew Thomas. Thomas left Sunday’s game briefly due to a knee injury, but he later returned. Thomas had only played three games this season due to a hamstring injury that kept him out of Weeks 2-8. On 18 pass blocking snaps against the Cowboys this past Sunday, the 24-year-old tackle did not allow a single pressure. Thomas was limited in practice on Wednesday.
On the team’s unofficial depth chart, Justin Pugh is now listed as the starting left guard, while Ben Bredeson, who has started three games at left guard this season, has moved to right guard. Between the two veteran guards, rookie center John Michael Schmitz gets the start, and according to Pro Football Focus, he has only allowed two sacks in seven starts this season.
Starting with the right tackle Evan Neal missed his third game of the season this past Sunday due to an ankle injury sustained in Week 9. Neal missed Weeks 7 and 8 due to an ankle injury, but he returned in Week 9. He then injured his other ankle, which forced him to miss every practice leading up to Week 10. To begin the week, Neal was once again absent from practice. Tyre Phillips started at right tackle for the third time this season in his place.
