Wink Martindale isn’t exactly easing into Thursday Night Football.
With the Washington Commanders set to face the New York Giants, the former Giants defensive coordinator took a pointed swipe at Stefon Diggs while discussing how New York should attack Washington’s offense. Speaking to Pat Leonard for his Talkin' Ball show, Martindale said the Giants need to “set a record [for] max pressures this game” against the Commanders and argued that Washington has “one” offensive threat in its wide receiver room - and, in his view, it isn’t Diggs.
“I think Stefon-I don't know if it's Cardi B that took his legs or years playing - he's lost his legs a little bit,” Martindale said, firing a shot at Diggs.
Martindale also said the Giants can’t simply rely on a four-man rush because Jayden Daniels can punish defenses with his legs. At the same time, he believes Daniels “really struggles” when pressured.
Diggs’ name has been in the spotlight for more than just football lately. He and Cardi B broke up earlier in the year, and the split was noticeable before Super Bowl 60, when Diggs played for the New England Patriots and Cardi’s message to him was, “Good luck.”
That came a few months after Cardi gave birth to their son in November 2025. During a concert in Los Angeles, she said she was no longer “f**king with my baby daddy,” though she also said she didn’t want other people talking about him.
“Stefon Diggs. I don’t know if it’s Cardi B that took his legs or if it’s years playing.”
— Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) November 11, 2026
Wink Martindale says #Giants defense “needs to set an NFL record for max pressures in a game” vs Jayden Daniels & the #Commanders Thursday night
“Wednesdays with Wink” Week 10 is… pic.twitter.com/dKWW34buDC
The two began dating sometime in 2024 before going public with the relationship in June 2025. A few months later, Cardi announced she was pregnant with her first child with Diggs, who has five other children with different partners.
Diggs signed with the Commanders during the 2026 offseason on a one-year deal and has produced 30 catches for 303 yards and five touchdowns so far. Washington enters the game at 2-5-1 and in third place in the NFC East. The matchup with the Giants will be the final meeting between the teams this season after they tied in Week 5.
In Other News...
Commanders Defense Faces Heat After Chaissons Blunt Take On Rams Loss
The Commanders defense had a long week to sit with what went wrong in the 20-13 loss to the Rams, and KLavon Chaisson did not try to soften the edge of it. Los Angeles leaned heavily on Puka Nacua, who finished with 14 catches for 150 yards and a touchdown, and the repeated success of that approach became the central problem Washington could not solve.
Chaisson pointed to the lack of adjustment as the issue, underscoring how the defense let a predictable plan keep working anyway. For a unit that needed to be sharper in a tight game, the frustration was less about surprise and more about failing to respond once the pattern was obvious. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Face A Brutal Thursday Reality In NFC East Race
A short week has turned into a meaningful one for the Commanders, who head into Thursday nights matchup with the Giants knowing the NFC East picture already has some early separation. New York sits atop the division, and Washington needs a win just to keep pace in a race that can tighten or slip away quickly when these head-to-head games start stacking up.
The matchup has also taken on a different edge with the betting market moving toward the Giants, a sign of how much confidence there is in New York entering the prime-time spot. For Washington, the assignment is straightforward but unforgiving: handle a division rival on a short week, or watch the standings get a little harder to chase. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Defense Has A Chance To Prove This Progress Is Real
The Commanders defense has started to look more like the unit Dan Quinn envisioned, and the recent uptick has given the coaching staff reason to believe the turnaround is more than a short-lived spike. Quinn has pointed to defensive coordinator Daronte Jones as part of the improvement, with Washington cleaning up some of the issues that were costing it earlier in the season and giving up fewer points in the process.
Thursday night brings a familiar test, with the Giants back on the schedule and another chance for Washington to show the progress can hold up under pressure. For a defense that needed to steady itself, the challenge now is not just playing better for a week, but proving the gains can survive a quick turnaround and another divisional matchup. [Read more 🡒]