The New York Giants (7-5-1) and Washington Commanders (7-5-1) will square off on Sunday night in a Week 15 matchup at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland.
The Giants opened the week as 4-point road underdogs and that line has slightly worsened. Big Blue is now +4.5.
With this matchup on tap, Giants Wire took the opportunity to hold a Q&A with Commanders Wire managing editor Bryan Manning.
Did the Commanders spend their bye week away or did they stick around and run tape on the Giants?
Bryan Manning: It sounds like Ron Rivera gave his time some much-needed time away. However, Rivera did state this week that several players were in and out of the facility. With so much riding on this game, many players likely stayed behind to receive treatment.
Is the return of Carson Wentz and his presence a detriment to Taylor Heinicke?
I think if Taylor Heinicke hadn’t made that outstanding throw on fourth down (in Week 13), we could be talking about Carson Wentz as the starter.
I am not sure it’s that simple but had Heinicke not made that throw, Washington loses the game and doesn’t end up in a tie. Heinicke isn’t going to remind anyone of Patrick Mahomes, but he doesn’t deserve to be benched. It’s not like Wentz set the world on fire before his injury. Now, if Heinicke has an abysmal performance anytime soon, Rivera won’t hesitate to turn to Wentz.
While Heinicke may have a few bad throws here and there, he’s not been terrible.
What do you feel Washington needs to do better this time around against the Giants?
I think Washington needs to play with more tempo to keep New York’s pass rushers off-balanced. The Commanders had more success in the passing game when they played fast. Defensively, the Commanders completely shut down the Giants in the second half two weeks ago. Saquon Barkley had less than 10 yards in the second half. And the Commanders stopped Daniel Jones from running all over them. Whatever they did to make that happen, should continue Sunday.
With both running backs banged up, will Washington revert to a more balanced snap share on Sunday?
I still believe Washington will try and run the ball more. However, I do think efforts will be made to get Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel and Jahan Dotson all involved. All three had good performances two weeks ago. But, the Commanders prefer to have more rushing attempts than passing attempts because it has been the key to success.
Do we anticipate a better job officiating this time around or are we both prepared to gripe further?
What a mess the officiating was in that game. It was so bad we ran a story highlighting some of the terrible calls. It felt like the officials let the teams play in the first half but decided they wanted more face time in the second half. So many games are horribly officiated and the Week 13 meeting certainly fits that criteria. I have no faith we’ll see better officiating.
How do you see this one playing out, and who wins?
Conventional wisdom says everything favors the Commanders. However, I still remain a bit skeptical. Washington has played much better in prime time since Rivera took over. FedEx Field should be packed, although there will be plenty of Giants fans. But something tells me that every time we think Washington will win, the opposite happens. I expect another close game that goes down to the wire. I’ll go with the Commanders, but it’s not like I am 100% confident.
Commanders 24, Giants 16
