Where Can Jaxson Dart and the Giants Offense Exploit Washington Commanders Defense?

How much has the Washington Commanders defense changed since the first game against the New York Giants and where is the unit most vulnerable?

Nov 13, 2025; Madrid, Spain; Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn during practice at Ciudad Deportiva del Real Madrid. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The New York Giants offense, now led by Jaxson Dart at quarterback, is set to face an abysmal Washington Commanders defense in one of the few “winnable” games remaining.

How might things be different this time around with Dart under center as opposed to Russell Wilson, who handled the role in the Week 1 loss? Let’s get to know the current Commanders' defensive players, some of whom have changed since Week 1 to start.

Personnel

The Commanders' defense, like every defense, has seen personnel changes from Week 1 due to injuries and some players outright outperforming others.

One of the most notable changes has been the use of Mike Sanristil, whose versatility appears to limit how good he can actually be. It’s a blessing and a curse to be able to play any position in the secondary the way that Sainristil can.

It’s clear that Sainristil is better at nickel than at outside cornerback, but he’s been moved to the outside for the second year in a row due to the cornerback room around him.

The Commanders’ starting cornerbacks in Week 1 were Marshon Lattimore and Trey Amos; this past week, they were Sainristil and Jonathan Jones.

This defense can’t seem to get it right despite having most of its starters, especially in the front seven, intact.

Plain and simple, the Commanders might have flown too close to the sun when it comes to bringing in aging veterans and hoping that playing them on a snap count will help get more juice out of them.

Their roster is also made up of defenders who can all contribute in every phase of the game, but almost none of them are great at anything.

Scheme

The Commanders' defensive scheme has been an interesting one because most defenses simplify as the year goes on, but the Commanders have actually become more complex in that time.

Most defenses will cut down their playbook and coverage matrix as they figure out what they're actually good at against opposing offenses.

In Week 1 against the Giants, the Commanders ran mostly Cover 1 with a mixture of Cover 3 and quarters.

Since then, the Commanders have run much more zone coverage and have mostly eliminated man coverage, but will still run Cover 1 on money downs.

I expect the Commanders to blitz more often than the 27% that they’ve blitzed to this point in the season, despite blitzing less often than that in the Week 1 matchup.

They’ve had games where that number climbs to 50%, but based on the offenses the Commanders have played with tendencies similar to the Giants', that number will likely be around 30%.

That could play into the Giants’ hands as Dart is a threat as a runner to take off with the ball if he faces the blitz, unlike Wilson, who was more likely to sit tight in the pocket, rolling around to avoid pressure, but not really doing much to make teams pay if they blitzed him. 

Overview

Dec 1, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) throws a pass during the fourth quarter against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

This Commander's defense isn’t good; there’s no way to sugarcoat that. Unfortunately, this Giants offense isn’t exactly good either.

There have only been three games this season in which the Commanders held an opposing team to under 24 points in a game.

The game against the Giants was one of those games for the Commanders, but of course, that was when Wilson was still the starting quarterback.

On film, the Commanders' run defense looks similar to the Giants', with poor angles, an inability to consistently shed blocks, and an abundance of arm tackles.

This matchup may very well come down to which side is more creative. Given how interim head coach Mike Kafka has so much to gain, as in a permanent head coaching job somewhere in the NFL if not with the Giants, we expect him to break out the full arsenal and lean heavily into Dart’s ability as a runner.

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