The Washington Commanders head to MetLife Stadium on Thursday night with the Giants looking very different than they did in the Week 5 meeting. New York is 5-2-1, Washington comes in at 2-5-1, and the biggest shift is under center: J.J. McCarthy is now the Giants’ starting quarterback instead of Jameis Winston.
That change matters because McCarthy brings a different kind of offense to the table. He’s a mobile quarterback with more juice on deep throws, and he’s already 2-0 in his starts this season.
Since Week 7, he’s also been one of the league’s best on third down, ranking fifth in completion percentage at 71.4%. He took a hard hip pointer last week against the Eagles, returned to the game, and does not carry an injury designation for Thursday, though his mobility is something to watch.
The Giants should also have Cam Skattebo back in the mix after he missed the last two weeks with a hamstring injury. Malik Nabers has been the breakout name on the offense and was named NFC Offensive Player of the Month for his October work.
Isaiah Likely has also become part of the picture with McCarthy, and Washington fans saw exactly what he can do in the Week 5 matchup, when he posted 11 catches for 94 yards and 2 TDs. Through the season, New York’s offense is averaging 333.1 yards per game, which ranks 14th.
Defensively, the Giants have stayed mostly intact aside from one major loss: EDGE Brian Burns went down with a torn ACL in Week 3. The injury changed how they’ve attacked opponents.
Before that, they were among the league’s lower blitz teams. Since Week 4, they’ve jumped to a 46.5% blitz rate, one of the highest in the NFL.
And if Washington remembers anything from the first meeting, it’s the pressure: the Giants blitzed at a 62.2% clip in Week 5. New York’s defense has allowed the fifth-fewest yards per game in the league, and it has been stronger against the pass, where it ranks third, than the run, where it sits 19th.
To get a better read on what’s changed in New York, I asked Ed Valentine of Big Blue View five questions.
When asked what has changed since the first matchup, Valentine pointed straight to the quarterback switch. “Well, the biggest personnel change is that J.J.
McCarthy is now the starting quarterback instead of Jameis Winston. That changes the Giants’ offense because it opens up more of the playbook.”
On McCarthy himself, Valentine was bullish but cautious about what it could mean long term. “McCarthy has been good.
He was fantastic in his first start against the Texans. He wasn’t nearly as good against the Eagles, but he was OK.
I keep saying this - I just don’t think the Giants want to go into next year with any hint of a quarterback controversy. I think McCarthy has to do a LOT to make them even think about doing anything other than handing the reigns back to Dart next year.”
He also noted the trade cost that brought McCarthy to New York. “The Giants got McCarthy for a fifth-round pick. I think the ideal scenario is for him to play well enough for the Giants to be able to trade him to a QB-needy team in the offseason for much more than they spent to acquire him.”
Asked where the Giants have been strongest, Valentine highlighted the defense and a few individual standouts. “The defense continues to impress.
Arvell Reese is a star, and the secondary has been better than expected. They need to run the ball more consistently.
The blocking hasn’t always been up to par.”
For the rest of the season, he said the ceiling is clear. “I don’t know about the offseason, though I think using McCarthy to get a haul in the draft would be great.
The best-case scenario? Win the NFC East, which would give them a home playoff game for the first time since MetLife Stadium opened in 2010, get a favorable matchup, and win one playoff game.”
As for Thursday night, Valentine picked the Giants and pointed to two keys. “I think the Giants win this game.
They have some momentum, they know what kind of opportunity they have. I think they need to keep Jayden Daniels from hurting them with his legs like they did in Week 5, and they need to limit mistakes.
They will win if they do those things.”
In Other News...
Dan Quinn Finally Addressed A Costly Commanders Problem
Late-game trouble has become a familiar and frustrating theme around the Commanders, and Dan Quinn finally acknowledged it after the recent loss to the Rams. With two first-year coordinators in David Blough on offense and Daronte Jones on defense, Quinn suggested there are bound to be some growing pains as the staff and roster continue to sort out how to finish games cleanly.
The ending against Los Angeles only sharpened the issue, with Jayden Daniels involved in a controversial play call that ended in a fumble and a loss. Daniels and Quinn both declined to go into much detail afterward, leaving the Commanders with the same lingering question they have been trying to answer all season: how to avoid letting games slip away in the final moments. [Read more 🡒]
Jayden Daniels Faces A Week 10 Test The Giants Just Complicated
Jayden Daniels is heading into another one of those early-season checkpoints that can say a lot about where a young quarterback and his team really stand. The Commanders have already seen what Daniels can do at the helm after his electric rookie year, when he pushed Washington all the way to the NFC championship game and earned Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Now he is working through a new offensive coordinator and a different system, which makes every week feel a little more revealing than the last.
Week 10 adds another layer because it brings Daniels back across from J.J. McCarthy, another member of the 2024 rookie quarterback class who has taken a far different path. McCarthy missed his rookie season because of injury, then wound up with the Giants after losing the starting job in Minnesota, and he is now settling in as New York's starter following a midseason trade. Their second meeting as starters has the feel of a familiar matchup with a very different backdrop, and for Washington, the Giants have just made the test a little more complicated. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Face One Week 10 Decision That Could Swing Fantasy Lineups
The Week 10 matchup with the Giants has turned into a tricky fantasy puzzle for anyone building a DraftKings showdown lineup around Washington. Jayden Daniels remains the obvious centerpiece after his recent production and dual-threat upside, while the rest of the Commanders offense has to be sorted through a matchup that also puts New York playmakers like Malik Nabers on the radar. Tight ends Isaiah Likely and Chig Okonkwo, along with kickers Dominic Zvada and Drew Stevens, round out the pool of names that could matter in a one-game format where every touch and every field goal attempt can swing the slate.
Washingtons backfield adds another layer of uncertainty for fantasy managers trying to read the game script. The Commanders have settled into a two-man running back committee, which makes it harder to project volume and forces a closer look at how touches will be divided in a matchup that could stay tight. For a team still trying to balance efficiency with opportunity, that split could be the difference between a useful lineup play and a frustrating fade. [Read more 🡒]