The Washington Commanders swept the New York Giants for the first time since 2021 on Sunday, defeating them 27-22 at MetLife Stadium. It wasn’t a huge margin of victory, much like their three-point win at the beginning of the season, but it was enough to get the job done.
Jayden Daniels used nearly every skill position player he had available on Sunday, and they all did their part to put points on the board. The Commanders’ defense is another story, and they may be in trouble when they face the Pittsburgh Steelers this week.
As we enter Week 10, here’s a look at where the Commanders place in a multitude of power rankings.
Good as their Jayden Daniels-led offense is, the NFC East leaders probably can’t just rely on it to boat race opponents, a la Detroit and Baltimore. This D has shown steady improvement, yet it still too frequently allows an offense like the Giants’ to appear competent. Some reinforcements wouldn’t hurt.
Dan Quinn for Coach of the Year to this point Jayden Daniels for Offensive Rookie of the Year. Jayden Daniels for MVP?
There are multiple reasons for this game. Washington plays two tough games in a row — hosting Pittsburgh and playing at Philadelphia on a Thursday night. If those games don’t go well, then the Cowboys’ game becomes one to regain momentum. But, even if those games don’t go poorly, this would be a chance to perhaps end Dallas’ realistic playoff hopes. And if Washington wins at Philly, it could get to 4-0 in the NFC East. A huge tiebreaker advantage.
Ben Rolfe, Pro Football Network:
It has clearly become a two-horse race for the NFC East, and after nine weeks, the Washington Commanders have put themselves in pole position. The Commanders are 5-1 within the conference, so they already have a leg up on the Philadelphia Eagles (3-2 in conference play). However, they still need to at least split their two meetings and not drop too many games in the second half of the season.
Washington’s offense continues to be superb. The Commanders have scored 25+ points on five occasions and 21+ in seven games. This season, teams that score 25 points are 86-18, while teams that score 21 points or more are 113-39.
The metrics suggest this defense is mediocre at best, but they’ve kept teams to 18 points or less on five occasions. Limit the struggles against better offenses, and this is a complete team.
Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News:
The Commanders once again flexed on both fronts against the Giants with their rushing attack and pass rush. Jayden Daniels is locked in again after the hiccup tied to the injury to his ribs, looking again like the runaway OROY.
The Commanders have a tricky Week 10 game against the Steelers. It would be easy for them to look ahead to a Week 11 showdown against the Eagles, which will be on a Thursday night. It would be a sign of maturity for the Commanders if they don’t trip up this weekend.
Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk:
Another big test comes this weekend, when the Steelers come to town.
It hadn’t really registered that the Commanders had such a light schedule when they got off to a 4-1 start, but there aren’t many obstacles left standing between Washington and finishing with one of the best regular-season records in the league. Three of their next four games are at home, and the toughest non-divisional games left on the slate will be at Northwest Stadium against the Steelers and Falcons.
Washington’s defense isn’t good, and the margins are getting tighter down the stretch (a common occurrence for head coach Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, but unless this season goes totally of the rails, the Commanders have banked enough early season wins to ride this momentum out to a potential home playoff game.
After they completed a sweep of the Giants, it’s fair to point out that the Commanders have fattened up a bit on the weaker part of their schedule, beating only one team (Arizona) that currently sits over .500. That takes nothing away from Jayden Daniels, who proved to be too much for New York and remains a very difficult rookie for opponents to deal with for four quarters. I’m a little worried about the run defense, which was porous in the first half before Washington went up two scores; that will continue to be tested by opponents, especially the next two on the docket (the Steelers and Eagles). Still, as long as the Commanders have Daniels, they have a chance to win. The rookie wasn’t particularly special on Sunday, but he’s been very good or better in most games this season and has been a franchise changer so far, largely driving Washington’s 7-2 record, even while the Commanders have improved team-wide in several areas from top to bottom.