New York Giants Week 11: Examining the Washington Commanders Offense

A lot has changed since the Giants saw the Washington Commanders a month ago. Let's take a look at the offensive side of the ball.

Author:
Brandon Olsen
Publish date:
Nov 16, 2023 10:44 AM EST

In this story:

New York Giants

Washington Commanders

Under offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy, the Washington Commanders have become one of the most pass-happy teams in the NFL and seem to be finding more of an offensive rhythm.

Young quarterback Sam Howell also seems to be settling in nicely following a change on his offensive line. Let's dive in more to see how their offense has progressed since the last time these two teams met.

Personnel

Sam Howell has shown significant progress in his first season as the Commanders’ QB1. Earlier in the year, Howell was holding onto the ball far too long and would force the ball into traffic just because his arm talent allowed him to do that.

In recent weeks, however, Howell has decreased how long he stays in the pocket, whether that’s because of progressing through reads quicker, being willing to take the check-down earlier in the play, and it seems he’s on the same page with receivers now. Howell’s shown the Commanders he can be the guy with time and development.

The Commander's offensive line, despite a couple of changes (center Nick Gates was benched for Tyler Larsen, and Chris Paul is now in at left guard for the banged-up Saahdiq Charles), is still one of the worst in the NFL and the running game has been the main victim of it.

The team averages 4.9 yards per carry - which sounds awesome, but 73.5% of those are after contact. Brian Robinson has been a wrecking ball that gets hit almost immediately past the line of scrimmage and consistently churns into extra yardage.

Antonio Gibson has been virtually nonexistent as a runner but is the leading receiver out of the backfield and the better pass-protector. Gibson’s a safety valve more than anything else, but with Howell’s increased tendencies to check it down, he’s proven valuable.

Luckily for the Giants, Howell is still trying to find a rhythm with receiver Terry McLaurin. McLaurin isn’t an elite separator and not an elite field stretcher, but he finds ways to get open and win contested catch opportunities. It’s just a matter of time before Howell gains confidence, chemistry, and time in the pocket before they find their vertical ability together.

Jahan Dotson, Curtis Samuel, and recently Dyami Brown have filled out this receiving room that’s generally lackluster. It’s a room that, in my opinion, is full of guys (excluding McLaurin), is full of third and fourth receivers, but lacks a true secondary receiver opposite McLaurin. Maybe Dotson develops into that, and he’s shown glimpses of doing so, but he’s struggled to string together consistently strong performances.

Logan Thomas continues to do Logan Thomas things at tight end. He’s a safety valve with no field stretching ability as he’s gotten older. Still, he’s a reliable target for Howell to hit over the middle of the field, especially when pressure’s closing in.

Scheme

The approach that the Commanders have taken offensively is more aggressive than initially expected, and it seems that Bieniemy is doing a good job of playing to Howell’s strengths. While Howell hasn’t been able to connect or even attempt many deep shots, Bieniemy’s made sure to allow Howell to push vertically.

At North Carolina, Howell thrived in a Phil Longo offense that consistently had deep threats running downfield. Bieniemy adapted and tried to give Howell those opportunities, including getting Dyami Brown, who put up over 1,000 yards in his final season at North Carolina with Howell at QB, more involved.

In the run game, the Commanders focus on the inside zone more often than the wide zone, but they make sure to include both in the game plan. This game plan allows running backs with superior vision and patience to thrive - which works fine for Robinson, but this team needs to add another explosive back.

Eleven personnel is where this offense lives; likely in an attempt to get lighter boxes and free up the run game, but with an offensive line this lackluster, it almost doesn’t matter what play you call.

(Sound familiar, Giants fans?)

What This Means for the Giants

Wink Martindale put on a defensive clinic the last time these teams played. The Giants picked up a season-high six sacks and generated 28 pressures. It was truly one of defensive coordinator Wink Martindale’s best-called games of the year in a game where the team needed to find a win any way it could.

However, this is an evolved Commanders offense with a developing Sam Howell. In the last matchup, Martindale weaponized Isaiah Simmons - blitzing him on 52% of his pass-defense snaps played. This time, Howell will likely handle this pressure better, but even if it means forcing him to get the ball out quickly for an incompletion or short gain, so be it.

Dexter Lawrence is the X-factor here. That’s not news to anybody who’s watched the Giants play this season, but especially against this Commander offense, he matches up well. They’ve got a weak interior offensive line, and with their inside zone game, he’s the key to disrupting it.

The part that gives me general concern for this defense is that the last time these teams played, the Giants had one of their best tackling games. It was a clinic: fly to the ball, wrap up the carrier, and hit him hard. Every game since then, though, the fundamentals have fallen off a cliff.

Final Thoughts

The Giants are still looking to win. Players on the field don’t care about draft picks. They don’t care about tanking to get a quarterback. This is one of the best chances remaining for the Giants to win this season, and as with the rest of the season, it falls heavily on the shoulders of the defense.