The NFL trade deadline has arrived, and Week 10 is rolling in with it, which makes this slate feel even bigger than usual. There’s a first national look at Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow in primetime, a division fight for first place against the Steelers, a major overseas matchup between the Patriots and Lions, plenty of teams sitting on upset watch, and another installment of Packers-Vikings.
The week opens with a Thursday night NFC East game that looks tighter than the records suggest: the Washington Commanders at the New York Giants.
Washington comes in at 2-5-1, while New York is 5-2-1, but the gap between them hasn’t been nearly as wide as those records imply. The Commanders have been a mess in key moments all season, and that’s the big reason the tie is sitting in both teams’ records. Earlier this year, Washington completely botched an end-of-game situation in overtime against the Giants, and that kind of uneven execution has kept this matchup closer than it should be on paper.
The trade deadline could still change the look of New York’s roster in some way, but any move the Giants make doesn’t seem likely to affect this game right away. Even so, the possibility of roster changes adds a little extra uncertainty to the night.
Vegas sees it that way too. The Giants are only 1.5-point favorites at home, which says this is basically a coin flip. With JJ McCarthy dealing with a hip injury, the feeling here is that this one can swing either direction.
Still, the pick is New York at home in a low-scoring game.
In Other News...
Commanders Center Problem Has Become Impossible To Ignore
Sundays loss to the Rams pushed Washington to 2-5-1 and put an even brighter spotlight on an offensive line that has been struggling to hold up its end. The center spot, in particular, has become a weekly problem, with the Commanders trying to patch together stability after an offseason that included moving on from Tyler Biadasz and banking on Nick Allegretti to handle the job.
The latest hit only sharpened the concern. Lucas Patrick was forced out of the game for a concussion check, and the ripple effect from there underscored how thin the room has become at a critical position. For Adam Peters, the decision to reshape the middle of the line is looking harder to justify by the week, and Washingtons inability to settle the center spot is now one of the clearest reasons the offense keeps fighting uphill. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Draft Priorities Are Already Starting To Look Obvious
The Week 10 matchup between Notre Dame and Miami drew more than just college football attention, with NFL scouts in the stands and the Commanders among the teams taking a close look. For Washington, the defensive side of the ball appears to be the natural place to start, and that means prospects such as Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore and Miami defensive tackles Justin Scott and Ahmad Soten fit the profile of players worth tracking as the draft picture begins to take shape.
Moores name has already started to circulate as one of the more intriguing defenders in the class, while Scott and Soten give Miami a pair of interior linemen who could also draw interest from teams looking to add size and disruption up front. Injuries and individual performances at the game were part of the backdrop, but for Washington the real significance was simpler: the Commanders were there, and the early signs suggest their draft board may be leaning toward defense. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Left Tackle Problem Is Becoming Impossible To Ignore
The Commanders move to Brandon Coleman at blindside tackle was supposed to steady things after Laremy Tunsil went down with a torn triceps in training camp, but the transition has not gone smoothly. Coleman has had a difficult time holding up in the role, and his issues were especially visible in the recent game against the Los Angeles Rams, where the protection problems only added to the concern around Washingtons most important spot up front.
With little proven depth behind him, the situation has become more than just a short-term patch job. Washington is now weighing its options at left tackle, and the internal conversation has turned to whether a change is needed before the problem gets any bigger, with the practice squad offering at least one possible path if the Commanders decide to make a move. [Read more 🡒]