What We Saw 2023: Week 7

Washington Commanders @ New York Giants

Final Score: Giants 14, Commanders 7

Writer: Chuck Twohig (@Chuck2E on Twitter)

So this game was completely cut and dry, right?  The New York Giants who have won a single game all season and who were heading into this one with their backup QB at the helm were going to run into a Commanders team that was only a win away from being within striking range of the second spot in the division, and the Commanders were going to easily dismantle the lowly Giants sending them one loss closer to a top 5 draft pick next season.

Enter Tyrod Taylor and his “Hold my Beer” moment.  Tyrod wasn’t alone in his efforts, but this one did not go as planned or as expected for many people.  The Giants managed to get their first touchdown in the first half all season (and added a second) while their defense was causing the Commanders fits.  The consistent pressure by the Giants led to a nice interception by Deonte Banks to end a strong drive and give him his first career INT, and the only INT of the day.  It was nearly as though this was a completely different team than we had seen the first 5-6 weeks of the season, and the second week in a row where they gave themselves a chance to win down to the last play of the game.  Both teams caused many three-and-outs during the course of this one and let their defense shine, but one defense managed to shine just a bit brighter.  Let’s see how this cold and windy game in East Rutherford played out.

Four Up

• Getting his second start in as many weeks, Tyrod Taylor was in a prime position to show the Giants (as well as other teams watching) that he is still a plenty talented QB and capable of being under center during big moments.
• The Giants’ Defense coming into this one had just gotten to the opposing QB for a sack a handful of times and today this defensive front had six sacks in the first half alone and was on a mission to show the league they are no longer playing around.  They allowed 7 points the entire game and that came off of a muffed punt return to pin the Giants deep.
• Speed kills.  One thing you cannot teach is speed, and Jaylin Hyatt has plenty of it.  Hyatt continues to get open on deep routes and when the Giants offensive line is capable of giving the QB more than 2 seconds to survey the field, he often hauls in a big gain.
• Coming back this season off injury and not having a solid idea of what his future holds, Chase Young managed to get to the Giants QB twice today for a sack thus boosting his stock for potential suitors this coming offseason.

Two Down

• Given the most carries from scrimmage today, Brian Robinson managed only 2.9 yards per carry even though he landed in the end zone.  Fantasy owners have simply got to be looking for another option at this point after a truly lackluster season so far from Robinson.
• With his role dramatically reduced this season, Sterling Shepard needs to figure out some ways to stand out if he wants the Giants coaching staff to continue to find a role for him.  He stood out today alright, coming in subbing for an injured Eric Gray on punt returns and dropping a fair catch to give the Commanders the ball right back deep in Giants territory (which would eventually go for the only Commanders touchdown)

Washington Commanders

Quarterback

Sam Howell: 22/42, 249 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT | 2 carries, 15 yards

Sam Howell never looked very comfortable in this one as the Giants’ defense kept the pressure on hot and heavy all game long.  The Giants managed to sack Howell six times just in the first half to keep him running for his life and not able to see his weapons downfield well.  Howell was able to mount a very long drive in the 4th quarter that would have potentially tied the game but a big pass break-up by Jason Pinnock ended the drive, and the Commanders’ hopes of coming away with a win today.  Howell will need to gain his composure quickly and come back strong next week against the Eagles if they do not want to begin to lose pace in the division.

Running Back

Brian Robinson Jr.: 8 carries, 23 yards, 1 TD | 1 target, 0 receptions

Brian Robinson Jr. has a rough day for himself and fantasy owners alike.  Adding zero receptions to an abysmal day on the ground, Robinson simply has to be more of a meaningful player for the Commanders for them to compete in this tough division.

Chris Rodriguez Jr.: 7 carries, 31 yards 

Antonio Gibson: 2 carries, 7 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 24 yards

Antonio Gibson continues to give head-scratching performances week in and week out.  Once considered a viable weapon for Washington, he has repeatedly come up short this season.  He cannot help the lack of carries or targets through the air (only two of each today) but he has got to try and make more of them when possible.

Wide Receiver/Tight End

Terry McLaurin: 9 targets, 6 receptions, 90 yards

Terry McLaurin continues to be the most targeted and most valuable receiver for the Commanders turning in another solid performance on the field.  Pulling in six catches for an average of 15 YPC today, he did his part to try and bring the team a win and keep them in range within the division.

Logan Thomas: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 51 yards

Logan Thomas does a solid job of making his catches for the day count and outgains some other notable targets like Dotson in the process.  If this offensive line continues to struggle against defensive fronts, expect to see more quick passes to Thomas to see if he can use that big frame to create some more YAC.

Jahan Dotson: 8 targets, 5 receptions, 43 yards

If you’re a Jahan Dotson manager (or Commanders fan for that matter) you’ve got to expect more from him on the stat sheet.  With the O-line getting smacked around today, Howell wasn’t able to wait for these receivers’ routes to provide separation on many occasions, which is definitely one of the reasons that Dotson had the day that he had.

Curtis Samuel: 8 targets, 4 receptions, 25 yards

Byron Pringle: 1 target, 1 reception, 16 yards

One target.  One target.  Yikes.  To make matters worse, this one catch came off of two Giants defenders colliding which left Pringle wide open and able to gain more yardage.

New York Giants

Quarterback

Tyrod Taylor: 19/29, 279 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT | 8 carries, 25 yards

Tyrod Taylor flat-out looked like a starting NFL quarterback today.  He was able to stand firm in the pocket when he had protection, able to scramble and still find targets downfield or run the ball when he didn’t, and smart enough to often throw it away when it was needed.  Taylor was making smart decisions and was able to use some weapons like Jaylin Hyatt and Darren Waller better than they’ve been used all season.  Unfortunately for Taylor, with the huge contract that the Giants just gave Daniel Jones, I doubt he really has any realistic shot at starting once he’s healthy.

Running Back

Saquon Barkley: 21 carries, 77 yards | 4 targets, 3 receptions, 41 yards, 1 TD

Saquon Barkley was the exact weapon that the Giants needed him to be today.  He was able to use his legs to create many first downs to keep the drive going, he was able to provide a solid check-down option for Taylor when the coverage was strong on the receivers or when O line coverage broke down, and he was able to use his legs to evade a few defenders and turn one of those check down’s into one of the Giants two touchdowns on the day.  This is a completely different team when Barkley is on the field and when he is not, and it showed today not only in the stats you can see on the sheet but also in the things that are not noted like how much attention he requires from the defense that allows other players to get open.

Matt Breida: 3 carries, 4 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 5 yards

Wide Receiver/Tight End

Darren Waller: 8 targets, 7 receptions, 98 yards, 1 TD

For the first time this season Darren Waller proved to be exactly as good as everyone thinks he is.  Waller was creating separation seemingly effortlessly on some plays and was hauling in nearly everything that came his way.  His touchdown reception was a beautiful grab with Commanders defenders on either side of him and he extended multiple drives with catches to move the sticks.  The Giants simply must get him more involved in this offense to continue to have success.  Taylor seemed more comfortable throwing to Waller than anyone else (as proven by the most targets on the day) and he seemed like he had a better connection with Waller than Jones has had all season.

Jalin Hyatt: 5 targets, 2 receptions, 75 yards

Jalin Hyatt is simply going to be a problem for a lot of teams to match up to for a long time.  His ability to use his blazing speed to create separation downfield is already shaping him up to be one of the best in the NFL at being able to provide a deep threat to stretch the field.  The main hang-up for a lot of executives on Hyatt was they did not believe he was a strong route runner, but he is proving them all wrong with each opportunity he is given on the field.  The Giants have been very cautious in how, when, and how much they are using Hyatt so far but once they take off the reins and use him for full games, he is going to be a very dangerous man.

Darius Slayton: 2 targets, 1 reception, 22 yards

If you’re a Darius Slayton manager and you’re stashing him away for when he may turn this around, it seems you may be waiting a while.  Slayton has shown no reason in this offense as to why anyone should believe he’ll be a strong start anytime soon.  Jones does have a little more rapport than Taylor with Slayton, but even with Jones in his numbers have not been start-worthy this season.

Wan’Dale Robinson: 2 targets, 1 reception, 22 yards

Wan’Dale Robinson made some nice moves with his legs and was able to elude some defenders turning his one catch today into a nice gain, but this is another game we are seeing where Robinson sees five targets or less.

Isaiah Hodgins: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 13 yards

Sterling Shepard: 1 target, 1 reception, 3 yards