Giants Preview: Thursday Night Rematch With Commanders Comes With Trade Deadline Noise

The New York Giants and Washington Commanders are set for their rematch on Thursday night, five weeks after the two teams battled to a 27-27 tie in which the Commanders squandered a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter and cost themselves a win because of clock mismanagement.

Washington is coming off a 20-13 home loss to the Los Angeles Rams, while the Giants are coming off a 19-11 road win against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Commanders are averaging 21.5 points per game with a points-per-game differential of -3.75.

The Giants have fared a little better, averaging 22.8 points per game with a 1.25-point-per-game differential. Just one of their wins (Week 4 vs. Arizona) has been by 10 points or more, which means the Giants have squeaked by so far.

The good news for the Giants is their defense has been dominant. New York has allowed just 172 points to opponents this season, the seventh-lowest mark in the league, making a valid argument that the defense has carried the team for most of the season.

What will this week bring? Let’s take a look.

Another Divisional Win? Please.

The Giants have not beaten Washington since 2023. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Giants erased the 13-year losing streak in Philadelphia on Sunday. This week, they have a chance to erase a five-game streak in which they haven’t defeated the Commanders, home or away.

The Giants and Commanders, of course, tied in their meeting earlier this year. Before that, the last time the Giants beat Washington was November 19, 2023. So they are long overdue.

With a win, the Giants would improve to 3-0-1 in the division and remain a couple of steps ahead of the Dallas Cowboys, who seem hot on their heels in the NFC East race.

So yes, a lot is at stake for the Giants, who are 1-6 in games played on Thursday night since 2020. The Giants are aiming for their second straight win on Thursday Night Football.

Trade Winds

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen has been working the phones to try to get John Harbaugh additional reinforcements. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A short workweek is challenging enough, but throw in the trade deadline, and it gets even more complicated.

The Giants have been heavily linked to Colts running back Jonathan Taylor. Still, as of Sunday, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported that New York withdrew its offer after the Colts said they wanted much more for their lead back.

That doesn’t mean that things can’t change, but it’s hard to see a deal happening, considering the Giants don’t have a 2027 fourth- or fifth-round pick to include in a trade, which appears to be a requisite to get a deal done.

Given that the Colts also reportedly want a second-round pick, it’s hard to envision the Giants caving, especially after head coach John Harbaugh acknowledged the team isn’t one player away.

And then there is the other side of the coin, which is defensive tackle. The Giants really haven’t been strongly linked to any defensive tackles, at least not in the way they’ve been linked to Taylor. Could a surprise move be coming?

Health Check

Nov 8, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo (44) looks on prior to the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Giants held a walkthrough practice on Monday, so their practice participation report was just a projection. That said, it was a very positive-looking projection: not a single player among those appearing on the report would have been held out of practice.

That’s huge considering names like running back Cam Skattebo (hamstring), quarterback J.J. McCarthy (hip), receiver Malik Nabers (knee), outside linebacker Abdul Carter (knee/back), and tackles Andrew Thomas (groin) and Jermaine Eluemunor (calf) are all on this week’s report.

Harbaugh, in fact, expressed optimism that Skattebo and McCarthy, whose injuries appear to be the most significant, will be available for Thursday night.

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