EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.: The Washington Commanders and New York Giants entered the season with the aim of closing the hole on the perennial frontrunners in the NFL East, the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.
Inching towards the midway level and with a recreation towards New York at MetLife Stadium up subsequent on Sunday, the Commanders (3-3) are a lot nearer to success than the offensively inept Giants, who have misplaced 4 straight and dropped to 1-5.
There’s a lot at stake for each groups. Washington completed solely a recreation out of a playoff spot a yr in the past — and that was largely due to being 0-1-1 in its two video games towards New York.
The Giants, who made the playoffs a yr in the past with a 9-7-1 mark, are in must-win territory. Only three groups since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 have began 1-5 and made the postseason. Only the ’70 Bengals began 1-6 and acquired to the playoffs.
“We may be 1-5, but it’s a long season ahead of us and we’ve lost only one divisional game,” Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke. “So it’s just getting that urgency, it’s not wholesale changes. It’s just doing the little things even better. If we can get a win in our back pocket, we can start rolling.”
Both groups performed nicely final week. The Commanders beat the Falcons in Atlanta to snap a three-game shedding streak, whereas the Giants performed their most full recreation of the season in dropping a 14-9 resolution to Buffalo on Sunday night time.
Commanders coach Ron Rivera is anticipating one other good recreation from New York because it includes one other NFC East workforce.
“I think that’s probably the biggest one more than anything else,” he stated. “It’s a divisional game and you’re going to play against your divisional rivals a little better. At least I believe you typically should because you know them a little bit more. Because of that, I think that’s what really brings the game to being pretty evenly matched.”
CALLING THE SIGNALS
The Giants are anticipated to begin backup Tyrod Taylor at quarterback for the second straight week. After lacking the Bills recreation due to a neck damage, Daniel Jones was restricted in apply this week.
Taylor performed nicely towards the Bills. The 13-year veteran was 24 of 36 for 200 yards and ran 5 occasions for twenty-four yards in his first begin since 2021. His final begin in Washington was in 2015 for Buffalo, a recreation wherein he threw two landing passes to Sammy Watkins in a 35-25 loss.
The Giants’ offense hasn’t scored a first-half landing this season, and hasn’t scored in 205 minutes over the final three-plus video games.
FORBES QUESTION
After using the bench for the whole recreation with zero snaps final weekend, Commanders rookie cornerback Emmanuel Forbes stated he has “no clue” what the teaching employees’s plan is for him this weekend.
Rivera, who determined to sit the first-round choose late in a residence loss to Chicago on Oct. 5, stated there’s a troublesome steadiness between wanting Forbes and different younger gamers to develop and attempting to win video games.
Forbes has been thrown at 27 occasions, giving up 20 catches for 401 yards — the second most of any defender in the NFL this season. The 22-year-old Mississippi State product insists he isn’t bothered by the uncertainty he’s mired in at the second.
“I just come in and do my job,” Forbes stated. “As long as I do my job and give myself the best opportunity to play, I can’t complain about that.”
GATES GOES BACK
This will be the first chance for former Giants offensive lineman Nick Gates to face his outdated workforce since signing with Washington. Gates performed his first 4 professional seasons with the Giants and says he has no exhausting emotions towards them.
“It’s a business,” Gates stated. “It’s part of this league. You’ve got to move on, and you’re going to go to other teams. It’ll be nice to see all my buddies and all the old training stuff and stuff, but other than that it’s just a football game.”
GIANTS O-LINE
With LT Andrew Thomas (hamstring) and middle John Michael Schmitz (shoulder) most unlikely to play, the Giants’ offensive line most likely will be “straight off the couch” Justin Pugh at LT, Mark Glowinski at LG, Ben Bredeson at C, Marcus McKethan at RG and Evan Neal (ankle) at RT.
With Shane Lemieux (torn biceps) on IR, the backups will be Tyre Phillips, Joshua Miles and Sean Harlow. who had been all signed off the apply squads of different groups in the final week.
The Giants have not had the similar beginning offensive line in consecutive video games this season.
OKEREKE IS OK
The Giants signed inside linebacker Bobby Okereke as a free agent in the offseason after the Stanford product led the Colts in tackles. It took him a couple of video games to slot in however the five-year veteran has been making performs throughout the discipline recently, with double-digit tackles in three straight video games.
He leads the workforce with 53 tackles, together with 5 for losses, and has 5 passes defensed, two pressured fumbles and an interception.
In a recreation towards Miami two weeks in the past, he tipped a cross that security Jason Pinnock returned 102 yards for a landing and in addition had a choose of his personal. Against the Bills, he had a pressured fumble and a tipped cross that fellow linebacker Micah McFadden recovered and intercepted.
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AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this report
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(This story has not been edited by News18 employees and is revealed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)
