After a historic Hail Mary win last week, the Nov. 3 game marked the Washington Commanders’ third straight win, defeating the New York Giants 27-22 in an intense NFC East battle at MetLife Stadium. Coming into Sunday’s game, the Giants were 2-6, standing as the last team in the NFC East division. After losing to the Commanders for the second time this season (21-18 in week two), the Giants are now 2-7 in the division continuing their streak in last place. After Sunday’s win, Washington stands at a celebratory 7-2 record for the first time since 1996, leading the NFC East.
Here are two contributing factors that led to a Commanders’ win over the Giants: Washington Excelled the Run Game Without Brian Robinson Jr. It is no secret that running back Brian Robinson Jr. is a key contributor to the Commanders’ success in the run game, and Sunday’s game was the second time in four straight series that the Commanders have ruled out the rushing leader.
Robinson was first announced as questionable due to a hamstring injury. However, just hours before kickoff, Washington ruled out Robinson for the week nine matchup against the Giants. This left the Commanders no choice but to rely on other players for offensive strides. Teamwork really made the dream work against the Giants as the Commanders recorded 150 yards on 38 carries. Running back Chris Rodriguez was raised from the practice squad amid Robinson’s hamstring injury. He led the Commanders run game against the Giants, finishing the day with 52 yards on 11 attempts. In the fourth quarter, Rodgriuez had a tremendous 17-yard run, but that’s not all he did. Rodgriuez became a key contributor on Washington’s final drive by helping to run the clock with five carries.
Running back Austin Ekeler led Washington right behind Rodgriuez with 42 yards on 11 attempts. Ekeler even scored one out of three of Washington’s first-half touchdowns, a fourth-and-1 conversion set up by quarterback Jayden Daniels. The Commanders are hoping to have Brian Robinson Jr. back out on the field next week against the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, Washington has proved that they can build an efficient run-game attack without him. It will be exciting to see how the run game will progress with various players stepping up to make strides moving forward. Commanders Defense Stayed Strong From Start To FinishThe Commanders defense dominated through and through until the clock struck zero in the fourth quarter against the Giants. Although the Commanders defense is known for dominating more or less in certain matchups, they truly stood firm against New York’s offense ruffing up their momentum throughout the game. Linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. burst past Giants Offensive Lineman Chris Hubbard, sacking quarterback Daniel Jones and forcing a fumble. Even though that was not original call presented, the ball rolled back to the Giants 31-yard line before it was recovered by Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner. It was originally ruled as an incomplete pass until Washington head oach Dan Quinn threw a challenge flag as he was convinced that it was a fumble. Quinn’s challenge was successful leaving the ball in the hands of the Commanders deep in Giants territory. The defensive contributions provided by Fowler and Wagner set Washington up to score 3 plays later, recording a 21-7 lead in the first half.
The Washington Commanders will be back home at Northwest Stadium to face off against the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, Nov. 11.
Source: Washington Informer
