Commanders @ Giants
Final Score: Commanders 27 – Giants 22
Writer: Brendan Boe (@BeeBoeFF on Twitter)
It was a battle of the rushing quarterbacks as Daniel Jones and Jayden Daniels had 8 and 7 carries, respectively. Both quarterbacks had safe performances as there were no turnovers in the contest, and the ball was spread around to involve many components on both teams. QBs aside, no individual passed the century mark on the ground or through the air, with Austin Ekeler earning the most yards on either side of the field. Though the final score was close, Washington had a command of this game early on.
Three Up
- Austin Ekeler – Most of his damage was done in the 1st half, with his ending stats being 83 combined yards and a touchdown. Solid performance and versatile involvement.
- Jayden Daniels – 200+ yard passing and 2 touchdowns, plus his classic involvement as a rusher. Spread the ball around to 7 different receivers and played a safe, efficient performance.
- Daniel Jones – 3 total touchdowns, heavy involvement in the rushing attack, and a good pace-of-play to hit his open receivers. He completed nearly 77% of his passes.
Two Down
- Wan’Dale Robinson – His touchdown was called back by a penalty, which wasn’t his fault. That said, 3 catches for 10 yards is not what you like to see.
- Devin Singletary – The coup is complete as Tyrone Tracy Jr. has become the clear #1. Singletary was efficient but didn’t garner enough volume to be consistent.
Commanders
Quarterback
Jayden Daniels: 15/22, 209 Yards, 2 TD | 8 Carries, 35 Yards
Another great performance by the rookie QB sensation as he led his team to another victory. He sealed the deal in the first half as he found Terry McLaurin in the 1st quarter for a 1-yard pass in tight coverage, then again in the 2nd quarter for a gorgeous 18-yarder with precision placement on the left side of the end zone. We nearly saw a much bigger day, but he had an uncharacteristically bad zone read near the goal line, resulting in a loss of yardage. He also found an opening in the middle for what would’ve been a big gain, but a teammate had a holding penalty and called back the play; to be fair, this wasn’t Daniels’ fault. These minor errors aside, Daniels showed confidence in his entire receiving core as he aired it out to 7 different teammates but still used his legs when the opportunities arose. Overall, he looked calm and collected, and several passes were laser-focused and well-placed, even in tight coverage.
https://www.twitter.com/Tiller56/status/1853164563467833719
Running Back
Austin Ekeler: 11 Carries, 42 Yards, TD | 3 Catches, 41 Yards
With Brian Robinson sidelined, Ekeler assumed the starting duties and had decent production with his carries, averaging 4 yards per carry in the 1st half while also tacking on a 1-yard touchdown. His final average was 3.8 yards as he did most of his damage in the 1st half, but he did manage to pad his stats later in the game with a wide-open catch on the left side as he weaved through defenders for a gain of 28 yards. This game was in the bag by halftime as the Giants didn’t have a lead for a single time through the whole contest, which meant it made more sense to keep Ekeler fresh and use him sparingly. It was promising to see Ekeler involved in the passing game, and a play where he slipped up the middle for a 20-yard gain after some misdirection was a solid display of his awareness and elusiveness.
https://www.twitter.com/NFL/status/1853147738118176879
Jeremy McNichols: 8 Carries, 20 Yards
Before deferring to Chris Rodriguez, McNichols seemed to be doing the mop-up duties when it was time to run the clock. However, with a 2.5 average yards per carry, his inefficiencies didn’t benefit the offense well enough to lean on. His presence was important when Austin Ekeler needed a moment’s peace, plus the involvement in the 2-minute drill before the half is a telling of being schemed into this offense. With 8 carries, he will remain present until Brian Robinson returns, but he will return to his 3rd-string role, with his greatest fantasy success being as a touchdown vulture in other contests.
Chris Rodriguez: 11 Carries, 53 Yards
The Commanders maintained a lead through the entire game, and considering that Brian Robinson was sidelined, there was no need to risk injury to Austin Ekeler. That said, Rodriguez made the most of his opportunities and ended up being the lead rusher on the team and tying for most carries with 11 and a solid 4.7 average yards per carry. He didn’t see significant work until late in the game, and when Robinson returns, he will likely be 4th in the pecking order; that said, his performance was noteworthy.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Terry McLaurin: 2 Catches, 19 Yards, 2 TD
Two quarters, 2 targets, 2 touchdowns – Terry had an excellent start to the day, showing that he’s the favorite end-zone target of Jayden Daniels. The 1st was on a 1-step stroke route where he beat coverage and found space in the middle, while his 2nd was a perfectly placed 18-yard bomb in tight coverage on the left side of the end zone. He wasn’t asked to do much else as the Commanders maintained their lead throughout the rest of the contest, meaning he was only targeted once more resulting in an incompletion.
https://www.twitter.com/NFL/status/1853154070338642033
Noah Brown: 5 Catches, 60 Yards
As the Commander’s lead receiver, he had opportunities to display some impressive athleticism, namely an acrobatic catch near the edge of the field where he leaned back and tapped his toes in bounds for a 16-yard gain. The biggest receiving play was a deep downfield cross route where he caught the ball past a defender to gain 31 yards. He also found success in tight coverage, with credit to Jayden Daniels for being such an accurate passer. Noah Brown has made a case for being the team WR2, as he’s had at least 6 targets and 50+ yards in 3 of his last four games.
Olamide Zaccheaus: 2 Catches, 48 Yards
He had a nearly invisible performance until the last play before the 2-minute warning in the 4th quarter, where he got wide open for a massive 42-yard gain. This was the final nail in the coffin as it put the team in field goal range; not that it was necessary, as they were one 1st down from sealing the deal, but it’s worth noting that Zaccheaus allowed for this lenience to be possible to close out this match.
https://www.twitter.com/MatthewH_Haven/status/1853176659484070176
Dyami Brown: 1 Catch, 24 Yards
Ben Sinnott: 1 Catch, 12 Yards
Zach Ertz: 1 Catch, 5 Yards
Giants
Quarterback
Daniel Jones: 20/26, 174 Yards, 2 TD | 7 Carries, 54 Yards, TD
By the end of the 1st quarter, he was 2/2 for -5 yards and had 3 carries for 36 yards, but he turned things around when it was clear that they weren’t able to establish the run as successfully as they were hoping. His highlight was a rushing touchdown where he bounced off two defenders to fight his way into the end zone on what initially looked like an easy stop. An overall safe performance with heavy rushing involvement made for some solid stat padding, plus the lack of any egregious errors led to Jones having a good day. We’re so used to seeing him throw to the wrong team that it was refreshing to see him be more patient and take time to find open receivers rather than forcing it in tight coverage. As expected, Malik Nabers was his go-to target, but he didn’t receive his 1st catch until the 3rd quarter – the Giants didn’t get pass-heavy until they were down two scores. Jones nearly had 4 total touchdowns, but his pass to Wan’Dale Robinson was called back due to a penalty. Regardless, Jones had one of his better games, as it was his highest fantasy output so far in the 2024 season.
https://www.twitter.com/NFL/status/1853169986006552706
Running Back
Tyrone Tracy Jr.: 16 Carries, 66 Yards | 1 Catch, 3 Yards
As if last week didn’t make it clear, here it is again: Tracy has overtaken Devin Singletary as the RB1 for the Giants. The 1-2 punch was apparent, but Tracy had 9 more carries than his cohort, with 4.1 average yards per carry. He opened the first two drives with multiple carries, where he found some openings for two 10-yard gains in the Giant’s attempt to establish the run early in the contest. In the end, the Commanders were able to put a stop and make enough gains to force more emphasis on the passing attack, but Tracy had a promising 1st half despite being quiet from the 3rd quarter and on. Immensely talented but on a losing team, with the unfortunate byproduct being games where the Giants will have to give up on the run.
Devin Singletary: 7 Carries, 33 Yards
Despite playing second fiddle to Tyrone Tracy Jr., he hasn’t been entirely schemed out of the game – deservedly so, as he was the more efficient back with 4.7 average yards per carry. Brian Daboll seems to be forcing the 2-headed monster approach, and given the hefty emphasis on the run early on, it’s safe to assume that Singletary will continue to be involved. Temper your expectations: even Tracy couldn’t get much going as the now 2-7 Giants inevitably return to the passing game when they start falling behind.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Malik Nabers: 9 Catches, 59 Yards
In the 1st half, the Giants had a major emphasis on the rushing attack, as Nabers didn’t get his first catch until the 3rd quarter. However, from this point forward, he was heavily involved, accruing 11 targets and 45% of the team’s total receptions. He even provided lead blocker support on a Daniel Jones run, opening up a 12-yard gain around the edge. Despite pedestrian yardage numbers, Nabers was the brilliant young talent we know and love as he made gains in tight coverage and stretched forward for multiple first downs within inches of space, one of which was a vital 4th down conversion. One of his more dynamic plays was with two defenders in range: he starts, stops, starts again, and then shimmies to turn around for a 13-yard pickup. As usual, he looked great but was mostly involved in short-yardage situations. Expect bigger days ahead for the elite rookie. Side note: though the video below isn’t in-game action, I can appreciate a cute moment where Jayden Daniels is reunited with his top WR from college. ❤️
https://www.twitter.com/NFLonFOX/status/1853121173535502651
Darius Slayton: 3 Catches, 49 Yards | 1 Carry, 11 Yards
With 4 total touches, each being 10+ yards, this dude is efficient when he gets the ball. He had an inside handoff in the red zone for a great misdirection to set them up at the goal – later, he got open on the left side for a 15-yard gain to move the sticks into the red zone. He even got wide open in the middle of the field to set up 1st and 2 at the goal line, giving the team a golden opportunity to score for the 3rd time. Slayton once again showed that he can be trusted to move the ball by getting open, plus being relied on to make tough catches in a tight window. He was responsible for a pass interference penalty that negated an easy touchdown, but aside from this error, he was a reliable offensive piece.
https://www.twitter.com/BobbySkinner_/status/1853145887469416587
Theo Johnson: 3 Catches, 51 Yards, TD
The big rookie had the best game of his young career, including his 1st career touchdown on a crucial 35-yard gain. He got wide open on a couple of large gains and made a major impact in this receiving core. His game wasn’t perfect, as he couldn’t haul in a perfectly placed ball on a would-be 10-yard catch down the middle. Regardless, this was a promising performance for the 6’6″ tight end.
https://www.twitter.com/NFL/status/1853175276181565487
Wan’Dale Robinson: 3 Catches, 10 Yards
He had a beautiful touchdown to the right side, but it was called back due to a penalty caused by Darius Slayton. This one play would’ve changed the tides on his whole day, as well as the whole game; alas, he had to settle for a bust performance instead.
Chris Manhertz: 1 Catch, 2 Yards, TD