The New York Giants are on a four-game losing skid heading into Sunday’s game against the Washington Commanders. They have suffered a slew of injuries to key players on both offense and defense, and it remains up in the air if Daniel Jones will be available.
As such, Commanders’ head coach Ron Rivera is preparing his defense to face both quarterbacks.
“You do pay attention and respect who’s playing, first and foremost. They’re both very qualified quarterbacks, but you also prepare for what they do and how they do it,” he told reporters this week. “In our minds, we always expect to see their best. We’re going to prepare for what they do the best.
“For each one of the quarterbacks, I don’t know if it’s that much more different, you know what I’m saying? Because Tyrod’s such a veteran guy. I think he could adapt to anything that their coach wants to do. Whereas with Daniel, they’re going to do the best they can and prepare him the best they can. We’ll be ready for both of them, either one.”
Jones and Taylor aren’t horribly different at quarterback, although Taylor is more apt to run than Jones. Taylor’s experience in the league also gives him a better idea of when to throw the ball away and when to take off, something Jones is still mastering.
Regardless of which quarterback shows up on Sunday, the Commanders plan to be ready. But they also plan to be ready for Saquon Barkley.
“They have Saquon and we know how special he is as a running back,” Rivera said. “We’ve got to be able to contain him.”
Barkley says he suffered no setbacks this week in practice, so it’s safe to assume he will play on Sunday. Containing him has never been an easy task for any team, so hopefully whichever quarterback is at the helm can set up Barkley for success on the plays drawn up for him.
Sunday’s game won’t be easy for the Giants, but it won’t be easy for the Commanders, either. It should be a good game no matter the outcome.
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