After the Hail Mary victory, the Commanders will try to defeat the Giants

The Washington Commanders will look to beat the New York Giants for the first time since 2021 and improve to 7-2 for the first time since 1996 when the old rivals meet Sunday at MetLife Stadium. The Commanders earn a remarkable 18-15 victory over the Chicago Bears on a last-second Hail Mary pass from sensational rookie Jayden Daniels against Noah Brown. The Giants have lost three straight games and are 2-6. The Commanders defeated them 21-18 in a match in September. The Giants scored three touchdowns but then failed to convert a point because kicker Graham Gano was injured on the opening kickoff.

Washington (6-2) at New York Giants (2-6)

Sunday, 1pm EST, FOX

BettingMGM NFL Odds: Commanders with 4

Series record: Giants lead 108-72-5.

Against the spread: Giants 3-5; Commanders 6-2.

Last meeting: Commanders defeated Giants 21-18 on September 15 in Landover, Maryland.

Last week: Commanders defeated Bears at home 18-15. The Giants lost to the Steelers 26-18 on Monday evening in Pittsburgh.

Commander’s attack: overall (3), rush (3), pass (10), score (3)

Commander defense: overall (13), rush (25) pass (6), score (10)

Giants offense: overall (26), rush (24), pass (23), score (31)

Giants defense: overall (13), rush (25), pass (6), score (10)

Turnover difference: Commanders plus-4; Giants minus-3.

Commanders player to watch

RB Brian Robinson Jr. A national audience has seen (twice) what QB Jayden Daniels can do, and he’s the Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite for good reason. But Washington’s offense has been so effective because of its balance, and it’s not just Daniels running away. Robinson has rushed for 461 yards and six touchdowns this season. The Commanders’ game without him is the only game they have lost since the season opener. He ran for a career-best 133 yards on 17 carries against New York in September.

Giants player to watch

CB Deonte Banks. The 2023 first-round draft pick was on the bench for the second half of the nationally televised game against the Steelers. It’s been a bad year for him. He was waived after missing a tackle on Monday. Banks started the season as the Giants’ expected shutdown cornerback. Coach Brian Daboll said he will start Sunday.

Key match

The Giants defense against Daniels. In the first game, the Commanders gained 425 yards, held the ball for 37:32, were 8 of 15 on third and fourth down attempts and didn’t punt. New York stayed close as Washington was 0 for 6 in the red zone, committing 10 penalties for 69 yards.

Main injuries

Daniels has sore ribs that have limited him in practice, but he is expected to play. … Rookie LT Brandon Coleman could return from a concussion, while veteran LT Cornelius Lucas is out with a left ankle injury. … The Giants don’t have K Greg Joseph (abdomen) or P Jamie Gillan (hamstring) available. With Graham Gano still out after getting hurt against Washington in Week 2, rookie Jude McAtamney could be pulled from the practice squad to kick. … RB Tyrone Tracy has cleared the concussion protocol and is expected to play, as is CB Cor’Dale Flott, who missed the Steelers game with a groin injury. … LB Ty Summers (ankle) is questionable.

Series notes

Washington looking for its first sweep since 2021. Giants have won three of the past four meetings.

Statistics and all that

Washington is 4-0 at home for the first time since 1978 and is 2-2 on the road. … Washington hasn’t started 7-2 since 1996. … The Commanders are the fourth team since 1950 and the first since the 2016 Cowboys to win six of their first eight games, starting a rookie QB. …Daniels had a career-high 326 yards passing against Chicago. He has completed 71.8% of his passes, which ranks second behind Detroit’s Jared Goff among players with at least 100 attempts. … Last week marked the first time Washington won a game with a TD in its last regular season action since at least 1970. … Robinson has five TDs in his past five games. … WR Terry McLaurin had a season-high 125 yards receiving last week. … TE Zach Ertz has over 50 yards receiving in four straight games against New York. … DT Daron Payne had his first full sack of the season against the Bears. … Giants have lost three in a row. They are 0-4 at home and have not scored a first-half touchdown in any of those games. … QB Daniel Jones threw for 264 yards against the Steelers. He had two TD passes and no interceptions against Washington in September. … Tracy’s 145 yards rushing was the highest total by a Giants rookie since Saquon Barkley ran for 179 yards at Washington on Dec. 9, 2018. His TD run of 45 yards was the Giants’ longest offensive play of the season. … WR Darius Slayton had four catches for 108 yards on Monday. … The Giants have 35 sacks in the NFL, one more than last season. …OLB Azeez Ojulari has two sacks last week and five in the past three games. DT Dexter Lawrence leads the NFL with nine sacks. … The Giants haven’t intercepted a pass in seven straight. … ILB Bobby Okereke had 14 tackles and forced and recovered a fumble Monday.

Fantasy tip

Here’s the LSU matchup: Daniels and Malik Nabers on the same court again. In his second game, after missing two with a concussion, he caught seven passes for 71 yards. He has 46 catches for 498 yards in six games. He is the third player in the Super Bowl era with more than 40 receptions through his first six career games, joining Barkley (40 in 2018) and the Rams’ Puka Nacua (50 in 2023).