Week 10 marks the point when the NFL season starts to feel like it’s moving toward the finish. The trade deadline has passed, teams are pushing toward the playoffs, and bye weeks are still in the mix. There’s plenty of football left, of course, but the season’s second half always goes by quickly. Tonight, the Commanders and Giants meet in an NFC East matchup.
Washington enters at 2-5-1 and has yet to win on the road. The season began with some promise, but losses to Philadelphia and Dallas put a dent in that early optimism. The Commanders bounced back at home against Seattle, with Marcus Mariota at quarterback, then lost overseas to Indianapolis while relying heavily on their third-string quarterback.
Jayden Daniels returned for Washington’s first meeting with New York, but poor clock management helped turn the game into a tie. The Commanders later lost a close one to San Francisco, then beat an injury-hit Eagles team after their bye. Last week, they put up a fight against the Rams but fell 20-13.
New York is 5-2-1 and currently leads the division. The Giants have a real chance to stay near the top if they can keep the Cowboys at bay, though their quarterback situation remains unsettled. Jaxon Dart was injured earlier in the season, while Jameis Winston has been entertaining without being especially consistent. JJ McCarthy has also seen the field, and last week he attempted more passes than Winston. It seems possible that coach John Harbaugh will stick with whichever quarterback has the better feel for the game that day.
That uncertainty makes the Giants hard to read, but I still have trouble seeing Washington win this one. The Commanders may be especially eager to make up for the tie in their first meeting, and Daniels is probably the best quarterback in this game. Still, he can only do so much if the rest of the team doesn’t give him enough help.
I expect New York to be better prepared and to execute more cleanly this time around. My pick is the Giants to cover the 2-point spread.
