John Harbaugh’s arrival has changed the tone in New York fast, and the Giants are already acting like a team with a clear edge in the NFC East. Their overtime win over the Houston Texans only strengthened that case, giving them another result that landed like a declaration rather than a routine victory.
That’s the part Washington has to sit with. The Commanders are not just trailing the Giants in the standings; they’re chasing the way New York is operating right now. Under Dan Quinn, the Commanders are trying to keep pace, but the Giants look more organized, more decisive, and more willing to force the issue when the moment demands it.
There are still rough spots in New York, but Harbaugh has already made the whole operation feel different. General manager Joe Schoen is still around, yet the direction of the franchise is unmistakably the coach’s. Harbaugh has taken charge of scheme, strategy, and personnel, and the result has been a team that feels far removed from the bottom-feeding reputation it carried for years.
The biggest proof is how the Giants have handled adversity. Their injury list has been brutal.
Starting quarterback Jaxson Dart is done for the season, and star edge rusher Brian Burns is out for the year with a torn ACL. Even so, the response has been to keep moving forward, not to lean on excuses.
After Dart went down, Harbaugh moved to bring in J.J. McCarthy, and McCarthy played a central role in the win over Houston as the new QB1.
That kind of aggression stands in contrast to Washington. The Commanders could have beaten the Giants in Week 5 if not for an inexplicable clock-management issue in the tie, but that only sharpened the broader point: New York looks better put together. The Giants have shown more resolve, more structure, and more belief that they can handle whatever gets thrown at them.
Washington, meanwhile, has mostly stood still. Even with concerns piling up, general manager Adam Peters has been reluctant to make moves, apparently intent on preserving money for upcoming extensions as Jayden Daniels’ rookie contract window begins to narrow.
The Commanders still have players fighting for Quinn, and an easier stretch of schedule is ahead, which could help them steady the season. But right now, they’re the ones trying to catch up.
Harbaugh’s imprint has also shown up in the smaller details. Running back Cam Skattebo did not get a touch in Week 6 after another mistake-filled outing against the Commanders, then bounced back by helping lead the Giants past the Texans. It fits the broader picture: Harbaugh is demanding, but he is also teaching, and his players seem to respond to that.
Quinn’s situation feels much less secure. The results over the last two years have been poor, Josh Harris has not made a change yet, and an in-season move remains unlikely. Still, if the slide continues, that could change.
For now, the contrast is plain. Harbaugh has the Giants moving with purpose, while the Commanders are still searching for traction. After only seven games of his tenure, New York has already pulled ahead in ways that matter.
In Other News...
Commanders Fans Have A Growing Reason To Doubt Adam Peters
The early returns on Adam Peters first major roster-building swings have not given Commanders fans much comfort. Washington entered the 2024 season with plenty of hope that a fresh front office would sharpen the draft and stabilize a roster that has needed help in several places, but the teams uneven play has kept the spotlight on the general managers choices, especially the way he has tried to patch together the running back room.
That concern only grows when so many of the 2024 draft additions have yet to leave a clear mark. The Commanders needed immediate help from that class, particularly on Day 2, and instead they are still waiting for those picks to deliver the kind of impact that can change the shape of a season. Until that happens, every shaky week on offense or in the backfield is going to feed the same question: how long does Washington need to wait before Peters plan starts paying off? [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Suddenly Have A Bigger Jacory Croskey-Merritt Question Than Expected
Jacory Croskey-Merritt went from seventh-round draft pick to one of the more encouraging young players on Washingtons roster almost immediately, playing in every game as a rookie and starting seven while piling up more than 800 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. Even with the Commanders offense dealing with line issues and a thinner backfield after Kaytron Allen was released, Croskey-Merritt looked like someone who had at least given the team a legitimate building block at running back.
This season has been a much different story, with his production slipping and Washington now having to navigate the position without him in the lineup. Bleacher Reports recent ranking of the 2025 running back class only adds to the bigger-picture concern for the Commanders, because the question is no longer just whether Croskey-Merritt can rediscover his rookie form, but where he really stacks up against the rest of that draft class moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Still Have A Few Young Reasons For Hope
A rough 1-4-1 start has left the Commanders searching for traction early in the 2026 season, but there are at least a few young names giving the roster something to build around. Jayden Daniels has kept competing through injuries and a handful of mistakes, Antonio Williams has flashed as a receiver, and Amik Robertson has offered a steadier presence in the secondary than Washington has often found while trying to piece things together.
Sonny Styles has also emerged as one of the more encouraging developments on the defense, doing the kind of work that shows up all over the field even when the teams results do not. Add in KLavon Chaissons pressure off the edge, and the Commanders can at least point to a handful of players who have made a difficult opening stretch feel a little less bleak, even if the bigger turnaround is still waiting to happen. [Read more 🡒]