Giants look to win rematch with Commanders

Here are three keys for Sunday:

Containing quarterback Jayden Daniels is the Giants’ top priority, but it’s not their only one. The Commanders average 165.8 rushing yards per game, third-most in the NFL behind the Ravens and Eagles. This week, Brian Daboll praised Washington’s “tough” running back room led by Brian Robinson Jr., who always “stands out on tape” when they prepare for him.

The head coach was asked this week about how to fix the run defense, which has allowed 436 yards on the ground in the Giants’ last two outings.

“I’d say tackling in the open field is something that you talk about and work on,” Daboll said. “You work on it in drills. You have to be able to finish it in the game. They hit a couple long ones, which usually leads to higher yards per attempt. Gap integrity. All the things that it takes to be a good run defense.”

“Frustration” has been the word of the week coming out of the postgame locker room in Pittsburgh. The Giants went toe-to-toe with the AFC North leaders in a hostile environment at night, but they could not overcome penalties, dropped passes, and a two-point conversion attempt that went awry.

“Losing is frustrating,” Daboll said today. “So, what we can do is control the things that we can control. You put everything you have into this each week. When you’re having all those meetings and you’re going through all those practices and you’re giving everything you have on the field, everybody, and you don’t get the results, certainly that is. So, particularly right after a game, that was a close game. That was a competitive game and nobody’s happy with our record. I’ve said that before. So, we have to come in with the right mindset like we do each week and do everything we can do to put the best product on a field we can on Sunday and that’s always the challenging par. But you’re never happy after a loss. That’s why you do this, to win.”

Monday night turned on a 73-yard punt return touchdown by Pittsburgh’s Calvin Austin III, and if Sunday’s meeting with Washington is anything like the first, then special teams will be at the forefront. The NFL’s leading scorer is Commanders kicker Austin Seibert, who made seven field goals for all 21 of Washington’s points in the three-point victory over the Giants in Week 2. The Commanders were 0-6 in the red zone that day.