4. Situational defense
Heading into the team's Week 11 matchup against the Detroit Lions, the Giants had proven to have one of the top situational defenses in the league. In the Week 10 win over Houston, the defense held the Texans to just three third down conversions on 10 attempts, while they allowed only one of their four trips inside the red zone to result in a touchdown. Following that performance, the Giants ranked second in the NFL in both third down (32.7) and red zone (38.2) defense.
The unit has not found the same success over the last two weeks, however. The Lions converted six of 13 third-down attempts against the Giants (46.2 percent), before the Cowboys were successful on seven of 11 (63.6 percent). This dropped the Giants to seventh in the NFL in third-down defense (36.6 percent). In terms of the red zone, the Lions scored a touchdown on four of five trips inside the Giants 20, while getting a field goal on the fifth drive, and the Cowboys got into the end zone all four times they made it into the red zone. The Giants still rank fifth in the league in this area, but have seen their red zone defense drop to 48.8 percent.
The Commanders' offense has not found a ton of success in either area. Washington has converted on 36.8 percent of their third-down attempts (26th) while their red zone offense (53.1 percent) comes in at No. 20.
5. Scouting the Commanders
The Commanders began the season 2-4 with Carson Wentz under center. Taylor Heinicke took over in Week 7 and hasn't looked back. Heinicke has led Washington to victories in five of their past six games, with the sole loss coming against the Vikings. He has completed 60.8 percent of his passes for 1,169 yards (194.8 avg.), seven touchdowns and five interceptions while adding a score on the ground. Terry McLaurin has been Heinicke's favorite target, as the talented fourth-year receiver ranks eighth in the league with 840 receiving yards.
Washington does not shy away from opposing teams knowing what they want to do on offense; they want to pound the ball on the ground. They have run for over 125 yards in six of their past seven games, including four games with 150 or more. Over the last three weeks, the Commanders have averaged 160 rushing yards, led by their pair of young running backs Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson.
Moving over to the defense, Sunday's game might represent the 2022 debut for the biggest name on the unit, defensive end Chase Young. The second overall pick in the 2020 draft has not played since tearing his ACL in Week 10 of last season. In 24 career games, Young has registered nine sacks, 13 tackles for loss and 16 quarterback hits along with six forced fumbles.
"We'll see how many snaps he plays when he gets back," Daboll said about Young. "Obviously, he's a dynamic guy with where he was selected, how he's played. All hands on deck."
If Young is active, he will join Montez Sweat, Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne on a stacked defensive line. Sweat currently leads the team with seven sacks, while Allen and Payne are at 6.5 apiece. All three have double-digit tackles for a loss.
"They're good at the run and the pass," said the Giants coach. "I think that's what (makes them so good). I think having strong fronts – both defense and offensively – is kind of where you want to build your football team. And they certainly have done it. I think the last eight games, they've up 16 points – that's without Chase. So, they've got some other good players in there – two 'Bama guys inside. I was with Payne for that one year. Allen. Sweat.
"They're challenging on both fronts. They don't give up a lot of points. They haven't given up a lot of points here in the last eight weeks or six and seven. I think they play physical style football. (Commanders head) Coach (Ron) Rivera – I got a lot of respect for him and how he. They're physical on both sides of the ball and the kicking game. That's what I think makes a good football team."
The defense took a recent hit when starting linebacker Cole Holcomb, who leads the team with 69 total tackles, was placed on injured reserve with a foot injury. However, fellow inside linebacker Jamin Davis is enjoying a strong season as the second-year player has three sacks to go with his 68 total tackles. In the secondary, safety Darrick Forrest leads Washington with three interceptions, while veteran cornerback Kendall Fuller has a team-high 11 pass breakups.
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