Three Things to Watch: Washington Commanders at New York Giants

The Washington Commanders will hope to salvage what's left of the 2026 regular season and avenge the week five tie with a quick turnaround against the New York Giants on Thursday night, marking Washington's lone game currently scheduled to be broadcast on Prime Video this season. Yet with bigger questions for head coach Dan Quinn and the team to answer in a pivotal season filled with missed opportunities, we take a look at three storylines to watch as Washington looks for its second win in the division in 2026.

The last time Washington saw Isaiah Likely, he put on a clinic. The Giants tight end put on a career performance in Week 5, hauling in 11 catches on 13 targets for 94 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-27 tie. He beat the Commanders' defense multiple times on third-and-long, turning would-be stops into first downs and extending drives that led directly to points. It was the kind of performance that exposes a soft underbelly in zone coverage.

It feels like basically every target on the Giants' offense goes to either Malik Nabers or Isaiah Likely, and against a Commanders defense that has allowed the most fantasy points per opportunity to tight ends, Likely has this one circled. 

Washington's linebackers and safeties have to identify Likely pre-snap and bracket him on critical downs. If Nick Cross, Quan Martin, and Jeremy Reaves are not disciplined in coverage — and if the Commanders give up those same soft third-down conversions they did in Week 5 — Likely will have another field day. Getting burned once is an embarrassment. Getting burned twice is a failure of preparation.

The Washington offensive line has been one of the most discussed and most disappointing units in football this season. Back-up left tackle Brandon Coleman has allowed 27 total pressures this season — including five sacks and seven hits — ranking 62nd among 71 qualifying offensive tackles in pass protection.

New offensive coordinator David Blough came in preaching more under-center snaps and play-action, a system that leans heavily on the line's ability to control the point of attack. That vision has collided with reality: the offense has been inconsistent all year, and when protection breaks down, the entire playbook collapses. They are still playing in shotgun often. Daniels has shown the ability to escape pressure and create with his legs, but he cannot do that every single down, especially as the season wears on and defenses scheme specifically for his improvisation.

The Giants have a very good front 7, with elite speed on the edge and at linebacker. If Blough cannot scheme clean pockets through protection adjustments, motion, and quick-game concepts, Daniels will spend the night running for his life. This is a must-win game, and the Commanders' offensive line has to perform like it. One bad quarter of protection could end Washington's playoff hopes right then and there.

Something else to note...Van Jefferson showed on Sunday that he deserves more playing time as a reliable, sure-handed veteran. Secondly, I would love to see us take 1 or 2 shots downfield to Jaden Bradley. He's a big-bodied receiver who can make plays in the air and has yet to get a real shot in regular-season play. 

Washington is coming off a rough Sunday. Puka Nacua did exactly what everyone feared he would do, catching 14 passes for 150 yards, a touchdown, and adding 20 rushing yards in a performance that exposed Washington's ability to contain a true WR1 when the entire game plan is built around stopping one player.

Now the Commanders turn around four days later and face Malik Nabers, who is a different kind of challenge but no less dangerous. Nabers has 53 catches for 648 yards and two touchdowns this season. He dropped 11 receptions for 121 yards and a score on the Commanders in the Week 5 tie, and he has topped 100 receiving yards in four of the last 5 games. The good news: Trey Amos and Nick Cross did not play in that first matchup. Getting them back adds real length and physicality to a secondary that was exposed without them.

The larger concern is Jameis Winston, who went 33-of-54 for 326 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions in the Week 5 tie — a career-level performance. Winston is not a consistent quarterback, but he has shown he can be a monster against this defense. If Washington does not force turnovers and get off the field on third down, Winston and Nabers will make them pay the same way they did five weeks ago. After what Nacua just did, the Commanders' corners cannot afford another afternoon of getting torched. The secondary has to respond, or this season is effectively over.

At 2-5-1 and three games back in the NFC East, Washington's playoff math is brutal but not impossible. This Thursday night game at MetLife is as close to a must-win as the regular season gets at the midway point. The Commanders botched a potential victory against this exact Giants team in Week 5 — the field goal miscue at the end of overtime still stings — and they cannot afford to let that moment define this season.

The formula is simple: stop Likely, protect Daniels, and don't let Nabers go nuclear. Easier said than done.