Fresh off their win over the Atlanta Falcons, the Washington Commanders are looking to beat their divisional rival, the New York Giants, this week. The Giants are a struggling team this year with a record of 1 and 5 but that doesn’t mean they will be an easy team to beat. With that being said, let’s discuss the keys to win this game.
1. Stop Saquon Barkley. There is no doubt, around the NFL and in NFL Communities, that Barkley is the Giants offense. He has missed 3 games this year and still leads the team in rushing with 207 yards (3.9 yards per carry) and 1 rushing touchdown. He also has 13 receptions (on 16 targets) for 46 yards and 1 receiving touchdown. To put that into perspective, there are currently 8 other players on the Giants offense that have played more games than Barkley with less receptions. So, the Commanders defense is going to have to be aware of where Barkley is at all times and do their best to stop him from ripping off huge gains and scoring in the red zone because he will see the ball early and often.
2. Be aware of Darren Waller. I have dreaded playing the New York Giants for one reason this year and that reason is Darren Waller. He is 6 ft 6 and weighs 245 pounds. Normally, I don’t have any real fear playing opposing teams tight ends because Kam Curl does a great job covering them, but I think he will have his work cut out for him this week. Waller has been targeted 41 times this year and has caught 28 passes for 282 yards and 0 touchdowns. With the Commanders focusing on Barkley the Giants could look to get Waller more involved this week. Therefore, the Commanders will need to continue to improve their defensive play from last week to ensure this game doesn’t end up being surprise blowout, like the Chicago game.
3. Limit sacks. Look, I am a huge fan of Sam Howell, and have been since before he was drafted, but I think it’s time we start to see him, and the team, improve when it comes to not taking sacks. Last week, we let a Falcons team, that had 5 sacks on the year, get 5 sacks in the game. Ultimately, we cannot keep taking sacks as they kill offensive drives. If you watched the games this year, then you’ve noticed that when Sam is not sacked on a drive, we normally go down the field and get points. We need to see more of that! If we are being honest, the sacks are not all on Sam though. They are caused by play calling, wide receivers not getting open, offensive linemen getting beat on their blocks and yes, by Sam holding onto the ball too long. I think the team will definitely improve when it comes to not taking sacks, but I would like to see them take a step in the right direction this week against a team that only has 5 sacks on the season.
There you have it! Those are the keys that I believe give the Commanders the best chance to win on Sunday. Ultimately, divisional games are always nail biters because you play the team twice a year and both teams know each other better than any other team in the NFL, but this is a game the Commanders should win and honestly, I hope it’s not even close.
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