Giants star revealed his 'aggressive' plan to stop the Commanders' QB

Every team deals with injuries; the Washington Commanders watched in fear as receiver Noah Brown was carted off the field during the team’s mandatory minicamp just this offseason.

Brown is back on the practice field after missing most of training camp, and looks to be on a good path toward potentially playing Week 1 against the New York Giants. With Brown on the mend, the Commanders are actually relatively healthy.

On the other side of that matchup, the Giants are also dealing with their own injured players looking to get back for Week 1 in Washington, including defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, who is aiming to play opening weekend, and wants to help contain quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5). | Peter Casey-Imagn Images

The Dexter Lawrence Challenge

An “aggressive mindset” is what it’s going to take, Lawrence said in the week leading up to the contest, acknowledging the great challenge Daniels is going to bring to him and his New York teammates.

“He’s a special talent for sure and guys like him, we got to – up the middle, d-line’s going to have to slow him down and that’s putting guys at his feet, getting our hands up to bat passes down, containing him, not letting him drift out and just being aggressive, not slowing down the rushes, not slowing down your aggressive mindset, still going to attack him and get him, we just got to beat the guys up front first."

A New-Look Giants Team

The Giants won just three games in 2024, one game fewer than the Commanders won in 2023, before the arrival of Daniels and head coach Dan Quinn.

It took a winning culture and group mentality for Washington to turn things around as quickly as they did, and it sounds like Lawrence is looking for the same kind of shift for his team, even though they aren’t going through a staff change.

“The way we communicate on the field, the way we run to the ball, the way we tackle, the way we do the simple things, is better. I think that’s the biggest thing that our growth has been so far in this camp, and I’m enjoying being a part of it," said Lawrence.

New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence (97). | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

One Game at a Time

"We got to go beat Washington,” Lawrence said when asked about season-long efforts, wanting to keep his focus on one game at a time. “That’s how I’m going to answer that one."

Fortunately, Daniels and the Commanders are going to have more than a few things to say about that plan.

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