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Keys to Victory

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Keys to Victory: Giants look to win rematch with Commanders

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The New York Giants (2-6) host the Washington Commanders (6-2) in Week 9 for the second leg of the 2024 season series. The NFC East rivals played one of the more bizarre games you will ever see in their first meeting. The Giants became the first team in NFL history to lose a regulation game despite scoring three touchdowns and allowing none.

This time around, the Giants are looking to break a three-game losing streak while the Commanders look to win their third in a row.

View photos of the Giants on the practice field at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center.

Here are three keys for Sunday:

Tackle in the open field

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."

Attention to detail

"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."

Complementary football

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.

Stats to impress your fellow football fans

According to NFL Research, each of the last four teams to win on a "Hail Mary" or a "Miracle" pass touchdown has lost the ensuing game (includes Vikings' loss in 2017 NFC Championship Game). Threshold used to identify Hail Mary/Miracle: Game-winning pass TD of 40+ yards on a play that began with less than 15 seconds left in fourth quarter. The Commanders defeated the Bears, 18-15, in Week 8 on a game-winning, 52-yard "Hail Mary" pass from Daniels to Noah Brown.

Malik Nabers has 46 receptions in six career games. With four more on Sunday, he can join Puka Nacua (58 receptions) as the only players in NFL history with at least 50 receptions in their first seven career games. Nabers has 498 receiving yards in six career games and can become the fifth player in the Super Bowl era with at least 600 receiving yards in their first seven career games, joining Ja'Marr Chase (754 receiving yards), Puka Nacua (752), Anquan Boldin (621), and Odell Beckham Jr. (609).

Daboll is 3-1-1 against Washington as a head coach. Dan Quinn is 3-0 against the Giants.

With his second 100-yard game of the season on Monday night, Darius Slayton now has 3,744 career receiving yards. He moved ahead of Plaxico Burress (3,681) and Mark Bavaro (3,722) into 19th place in team history.

The Giants' single-game rushing and receiving records were both accomplished in games against Washington. Tiki Barber still holds the rushing record with 234 on December 30, 2006. Del Shofner has the receiving record with 269 on October 28, 1962. It was the same game Y.A. Tittle threw seven touchdowns.

The Giants have faced Washington 183 times in the regular season since their first meeting in 1932, making this their most frequently contested rivalry. The Giants lead the series, 107-71-5.

The Giants' four sacks on Monday night increased their season total to a league-high 35, one more than they had in the entire 2023 season. They are on pace for 74 sacks, which would break the NFL record of 72 set by the 1984 Chicago Bears.

View photos from the all-time series between the New York Giants and the Washington Commanders.

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