New York Giants - Washington Commanders Matchups to Watch

The Giants need a strong showing across the board to avoid yet another loss, but in particular, they could use wins in these two matchups.

Author:
Hunter De Siver
Publish date:
Nov 17, 2023 12:14 PM EST

In this story:

New York Giants

Washington Commanders

The New York Giants will face the Washington Commanders in Week 11, hoping to complete a season sweep of their NFC East division rival.

This battle has several talented players matched against one another, making for some great entertainment. Still, these two particular matchups are among the key ones that could influence Sunday's outcome.

When the Giants Have the Ball

Giants rookie quarterback Tommy DeVito couldn't have asked for a much more challenging first start against the Dallas Cowboys last week, but this Sunday isn't as far into the deep end.

DeVito's completed only 57.4 percent of his passes in the three games he's spent time on the field and hasn't exactly launched the ball much either, as he averages just 4.8 yards per attempt. Nevertheless, this would be the defense to gain some confidence from.

The Commanders may have more wins than the Giants, but they've allowed the most passing yards and touchdowns in the NFL this season. Washington's secondary has given up countless explosive plays, and hopefully, DeVito can take advantage.

One issue preventing this is that New York's receivers don't typically get open quickly enough before the offensive line collapses. Washington's secondary could also be taken advantage of by the Giants receivers.

If all goes to plan, DeVito could be in for the best game of his young career. However, the Commanders secondary has one player that could be a wild card in disrupting everything.

Through the first ten weeks, Cornerback Benjamin St-Juste has allowed the fourth-most targets (67) and receptions (45) in the NFL. He is a Commander DeVito should throw at, but not as often as these numbers suggest.

St-Juste may contribute to the worst passing defense in the league, but he's also tied for the NFL's most pass breakups with a staggering 15. In other words, of the 22 balls thrown his way that went incomplete, only seven were because he didn't get a hand on them. That's very impressive.

Throwing towards St-Juste could be a reward due to the number of receptions he's allowed, but it could also be a risk due to the number of times he's forced incompletions and turned the downs marker to second, third, and fourth.

When the Commanders Have the Ball

The Giants' defense has been subpar this season, as they rank in the worse half of the league in most stat categories. However, they've shown some flashes of good things to come for the future.

New York edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux is one of the few members of the starting 11 who have put up numbers weekly through the sacks and tackles for loss departments. Thibodeaux's eight tackles for loss are the 24th-most in the NFL, and his 8.5 sacks are ninth.

The Giants' most recent victory of the season came nearly four weeks ago, against the Commanders. Thibodeaux shined throughout the historic rivalry, as he tallied four tackles, including one for loss, two quarterback hits, 1.5 sacks, and applied pressure to quarterback Sam Howell from start to finish.

Thibodeaux typically lines up on the opposite side of the left tackle but has also attacked the right. Either way, the Commanders offensive line has struggled every week, as they've allowed the second-most sacks in the NFL (the Giants are No. 1 by a lot). The edge rusher plans to take advantage of this once again, but he must reach Howell before he gets going.

The Commanders may be 4-6, but Howell is having a very solid year, as he ranks first in the NFL in pass attempts, completions, and yards. His 17 touchdowns are tied for the third-most in the league, but so is his interception mark (10).

NFL stars like Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, and Jalen Hurts have similar numbers to Howell, but their teams win more games due to their defenses and rushing attacks--two areas in which the Commanders don't rank highly.

In other words, the air game is one of Washington's only ways of getting a win. If Thibodeaux can reach Howell early and often, whether through pressure, quarterback hits, or even sacks, the Giants can complete the season sweep.

However, one possibility that could stop this is that Thibodeaux was limited in practice in the latter part of the week due to a concussion.

If he's unable to go, Howell will have some more time in the pocket to further his league-leading passing numbers.