Giants-Commanders Rematch: 3 Matchups That Will Decide Thursday Night

A Week 5 tie left unfinished business. Here are the three matchups that will decide Thursday’s rematch.

Nov 8, 2026; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) walks off the field after the game against the Los Angeles Rams at Northwest Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers said it best when he described the team’s Thursday night Week 10 matchup with the Washington Commanders as a game in which the Giants had to enter with a “2-0” mindset.

That was because just a little over a month ago, they did not live up to head coach John Harbaugh’s simple yet effective 1-0 motto in their first duel against the Commanders, where Big Blue stormed back from a 14-point deficit yet couldn’t nail the winning score in overtime to leave with a 27-27 tie on their record.

It could have very easily been a grueling loss that might have painted a different brushstroke on the current NFC East standings at the midway point of the season. Still, instead, the Giants snuck out a pseudo-win before a lot shifted in their favor over the next four weeks.

They are standing tall in the division at 5-2-1, while Washington is 2-5-1 and within one game of seeing their chances to pressure the Giants down the second-half stretch vanish.

As such, the rematch carries a double entendre for the Giants, who are seeking to unofficially put the Commanders' season to rest and notch another key divisional win that brings their postseason chase into closer view.

Standing between Harbaugh’s squad and that goal is taking care of business in these three matchups during their second chance from the football gods.

Jayden Daniels vs Giants Run Defense

Oct 11, 2026; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) runs with the ball as New York Giants linebacker Arvell Reese (52) chases at Northwest Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In the first matchup, it was a bit surprising that defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson didn’t use a spy player, preferably Abdul Carter, to keep quarterback Jayden Daniels from stepping upfield with the ball.

Daniels eventually found some creases in the Giants' defense as the game wore on, charging nine times for a team-high 103 yards on the ground to help Washington pile up 202 total rushing yards that marked the largest amount allowed by Wilson’s unit this season.

Along with the Commanders’ unacceptable average haul of 6.7 yards, they also punched in three rushing touchdowns, two of which were authored by Daniels, who took advantage of uncovered gaps to thrash the Giants for 38- and 26-yard foot chases into the end zone that gave Washington a two-score lead.

The reality is that Daniels’ dual-threat ability gives the Commanders a chance to stay productive despite the relentless injuries that have torn up their receiver room and sidelined their top running back, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, for four games.

With very wet conditions expected to engulf East Rutherford during the game, the battle in the trenches could be the factor that determines the final score. Washington has the advantage there, averaging 118.3 rushing yards per contest with the eighth-best 4.5 yards per carry through their first eight games this season.

The Giants’ run defense has improved over their previous two games, allowing under 100 yards to the Texans and Eagles; they held the latter to 92 yards while neutralizing Saquon Barkley’s impact after he opened the game with the Eagles’ lone touchdown.

Still, they find themselves dwelling near the basement in the important rushing metrics. They must be ready for the Commanders to threaten with Daniels' legs, especially near the end zone, where the Giants are ranked dead last in the NFL in red-zone scoring percentage (78.9%).

Cam Skattebo vs Commanders Run Defense

Sep 7, 2025; Landover, Maryland, USA; New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo (44) prior to the game against the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

On the other hand, the Giants backfield has to respond strongly after they were largely disappointing in the win over Philadelphia.

Sure, the Giants, who ran the ball 31 times and only gained 80 yards (2.6 average) on the ground on Sunday, deserve a little benefit of the doubt for not having Cam Skattebo active after he suffered a hamstring injury late in overtime against the Houston Texans in Week 7.

They thought the bye week would give Skattebo enough time to let the hamstring heal before his first return to Lincoln Financial Field since he suffered a season-ending ankle injury on that same turf in Week 8 of 2025.

Instead, the Giants elected to sit Skattebo out for a few extra days of rest before facing the Commanders, and their rushing game struggled without him, posting their second-lowest output this season and a second sub-100-yard performance in four weeks.

Skattebo is expected to suit up as a full participant against Washington, but he still has work to do as he searches for his groove in what could become a run-heavy evening for the Giants offense.

That is protecting the football, something he failed to do in the final minutes of overtime, with the Giants already well-positioned in Dominic Zvada’s field goal range to give their young kicker another shot amid a rough afternoon and seal a come-from-behind victory with his leg.

Skattebo’s biggest mishap led to him playing only a handful of snaps in the Week 6 loss to the Saints before he reignited Harbaugh’s trust with an impressive 124-yard, one-touchdown outing against the Texans to lead a three-score day for the backfield.

It’s the kind of response the Giants will demand of Skattebo on Thursday night, and he must deliver in the trenches to help New York keep the ball moving if poor conditions don’t let J.J. McCarthy and the passing game create a major impact.

Washington, which has forced the second-most turnovers in the league this season, will look to execute the Peanut punch if traffic builds up in the middle of the scrum. The Giants’ running backs must be looking over their shoulder at all times.

Malik Nabers vs Amik Robertson

Oct 11, 2026; Landover, Maryland, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) catches a touchdown pass as Washington Commanders cornerback Mike Sainristil (0) defends at Northwest Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It will be a bit surprising if Matt Nagy and the Giants offense can let the football rip through the air at a high volume, given the aforementioned weather conditions that aren’t predicted to favor it.

However, they’ve certainly learned that there might be no other team in the league better to give it a shot against than the Commanders defense, which enters Week 10 ranked 29th in pass attempts and 30th in passing yards allowed.

Granted, the last time these two franchises squared off, Jameis Winston was still the Giants’ starting quarterback and was largely contained to 72 passing yards in the first half before exploding for another 254 yards and three passing touchdowns over the next 30 minutes.

His top target that day was none other than Malik Nabers, who has found a liking for stacking his catch sheet against the Commanders’ porous secondary, including a team-high 11 receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown that became his second of what would be four consecutive 100+ yard games stretching into Week 7.

Nabers is coming off a strange week against the Eagles, where he was held to five catches on nine targets for 43 yards and dropped a perfectly placed ball by McCarthy in the back corner of the end zone that would have helped his team seal the win faster than it did.

There is no doubt he will also want to shake off any remnants of the body-language controversy that followed that game with a strong rebound performance against a defense he is quite familiar with, gaining the upper hand.

Washington will do everything they can to keep Nabers from taking over another game, including lining up cornerback Amik Robertson to help contain him. Robertson was largely successful in his coverage assignments in Week 5, allowing only four catches for 37 yards while forcing a pass deflection in 64 total snaps.

He has easily been the Commanders’ best man coverage defender in top matchups like Nabers, but he is also prone to committing penalties in the process. It will be interesting to see if Nabers can work that to his advantage to create separation from Robertson as the game wears on.

No matter what happens on the field, Nabers will bring his usual energy to every play, and the hope is that he and McCarthy can connect on a few shots that put the Giants in scoring position and pressure Washington’s defense at critical moments.

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