-Could this be it for Daniel Jones? I would be surprised if the quarterback’s pulled during this game (the second half comeback against Arizona in Week 2 last season wasn’t that long ago). But if he looks like he did in the opener, I don’t think they can continue to stick with him after today.
Of course, this is the one opponent he’s consistently had success against. There have been lots of coaching/personnel changes from those performances, but still, he has to have a level of confidence coming into this stadium.
I think the most likely outcome is that Jones plays OK — not great, not terrible — and holds onto his job at least another week.
-I expect to see the young running backs mixed in more today. Think there was some hesitancy to put too much on them in Week 1.
-I expect the Giants to get rookie Malik Nabers more involved early today. The first-round pick didn’t have a target until the Giants’ third possession in the opener.
I’m curious how his knee injury impacts his workload. The messaging has been “nothing to see here,” but he didn’t look great in the limited portion of practice we could see in Friday’s practice. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s in and out of the lineup a bit after playing 100 percent of the snaps last week.
-I’m interested to see how much WR Jalin Hyatt plays today. He played three snaps in the first half last week and only had one target. Seems like a guy who can be sprinkled in a bit more, especially against a shaky secondary.
I don’t expect as much heavy personnel as the opener, so that should provide more opportunities to get Hyatt on the field.
-It’s a bit of an awkward backdrop with the Giants facing rookie QB Jayden Daniels, who we saw Daboll say he’d trade up for during “Hard Knocks.”
Daniels has plenty of potential, but he’s mostly a threat as a runner at this point. Still, the Giants’ pass rush needs to dominate this game. The Commanders have poor tackles, and as DC Shane Bowen said this week, their best players need to play their best.
Daniels struggled against the blitz last week. We’ll see if Bowen breaks tendency and sends extra rushers more today.
-Bowen said Isaiah Simmons will play after getting no defensive snaps last week. Not sure I see a big role for him, but his speed could be useful on third downs to pseudo-spy Daniels.
-Cornerback Deonte Banks mostly traveled with Justin Jefferson last week, although it wasn’t as if he was left 1-on-1 much. Curious if he does the same with Terry McLaurin today. It makes sense with McLaurin not moving around much in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense and Cor’Dale Flott expected to be at the other corner spot.
-Will be watching kicker Graham Gano’s warmups closely. It’s alarming to have him pop up on injury report yesterday with a groin injury. This offense is going to need Gano operating at peak level.
GO FURTHER
Giants, Daniel Jones need to bounce back. Game vs. Commanders provides golden opportunity