Commanders look to rebound with home opener against Giants

The Washington Commanders need a “get-right game” in Sunday’s home opener after a disappointing Week 1 loss.

On paper, there aren’t many better options than the New York Giants, who suffered an opening week beatdown at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings and quarterback Sam Darnold.

Since 1990, only 11% of NFL teams that start 0-2 make the postseason. As they move on from Sunday’s loss, several Commanders stressed the value of a Week 2 victory to build momentum.

“That’s really important,” Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner said. “You don’t want to get too high, too low, but you want to get out there and kinda wash the taste out of your mouth.”

But Commanders fans have recurring nightmares when it comes to the Giants and their quarterback, Daniel Jones. The 2019 first-round pick struggles against most of the NFL, but seems to excel when the Commanders are the opponent.

Jones is 5-1-1 against the Commanders and 17-37 against everyone else. 

The best game of his career came in 2019, when the Duke product marched into FedEx Field, as it was called then, and threw for 352 yards and five touchdowns.

But Jones said Wednesday that it’s a new era for the Commanders. 

The franchise has a new coaching staff and an overhauled roster. Washington’s home field even has a new name: Northwest Stadium.

“I think you can tell it’s a different system; [they] do some different things. I guess there are some similarities in the personnel and the carryover there,” Jones said. “Different system, for sure, so we’ll prepare for it accordingly.”

Jones’ scrambling ability presents an additional challenge for a Washington roster that struggled to sack Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield in Week 1. Known as “Vanilla Vick” by some fans, New York’s signal-caller has established himself as a scrambling threat when receivers aren’t open.

“He’s got speed and athleticism. He remains a runner, where some QBs would go and get down or get out of bounds,” Commanders coach Dan Quinn said. “So, he remains in that space and really has confidence in his running ability, which he should. But that’s one of the real strong points of his game.”

Jones has enjoyed success against Washington, but some new Commanders were quick to note that the past doesn’t define the future.

“I wasn’t here for all that,” Wagner said.

While Washington’s defense will look to contain Jones through the air and on the ground, the Commanders have their own dual-threat quarterback. Rookie Jayden Daniels will look to build off a rollercoaster debut in his first game in front of the hometown fans.

“I’m just focused on getting better each and every day,” the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner said Wednesday. “For me, it’s how can I show up every day and be the best version of myself?”

Daniels impressed with his scrambling ability in the opener, rushing for 88 yards on 16 carries. But the passing game, limited mostly to screens and check-downs, was inert, with just one completion more than 10 yards down the field.

While running is a crucial component of Daniels’ style, he’ll face a new challenge in his second NFL game. The strength of the Giants’ defense lies up front, with Pro Bowlers Brian Burns and Dexter Lawerence anchoring the line alongside rising star Kayvon Thibodeaux. The trio of pass rushers will be eager to take down Washington’s rookie passer.

Though Daniels said he’ll want to avoid getting “hit by 300-pounds plus people,” the reigning NFC Rookie of the Week noted that he’ll keep scrambling when it feels right.

“It’s like just an instinct,” he said. “Like that time that clock in your head is like, ‘Alright, it’s time to go.’”

Daniels’ coach will want him to hone that instinct as the season progresses.

“He’s going to be an exceptional player,” Quinn said of Daniels. “There are choices when to go, when to not; you do have to grow and learn into those. And I am 100% certain that he will.”

Though Sunday’s game is important — it is a divisional match-up and the first chance for the hometown fans to see Daniels in person — several Commanders stressed that it’s still very early in a long season.

“I’ve been a part of a team that’s gone 11-0 and finished terribly, and I’ve been a part of a team that was 3-5 and made the playoffs,” veteran Commanders tight end Zach Ertz said. “It’s all about continually getting better. If we’re the team right now that we are in Week 17, we’ve failed ourselves.”