The Washington Commanders are getting ready for the third season of the Dan Quinn era, and the expectations remain high.

The Commanders have a 17-game slate full of challenges and opportunities against some of the league's best teams. Super Bowl contenders like the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers loom later in the year along with talented teams like the Cincinnati Bengals and Houston Texans. There's even another international game in the near future against the Indianapolis Colts in London.

Now that the season is on the horizon, Commanders.com is going to break down each of Washington's opponents. We're moving on to the Giants, who the Commanders will play in their second true home game of the season.

GAME INFORMATION

Date: Oct. 11
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Northwest Stadium (Landover, Maryland)

Individual stats leaders

• Passing Yards -- QB Jaxson Dart (2,272)
• Passing TDs -- QB Jaxson Dart (15)
• Rushing Yards -- RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. (740)
• Rushing TDs -- QB Jaxson Dart (9)
• Receiving Yards -- WR Wan'Dale Robinson (1,014)
• Receiving TDs -- TE Theo Johnson (5)
• Tackles -- LB Bobby Okereke (143)
• Sacks -- LB Brian Burns (16.5)
• Interceptions -- CB Dru Phillips and LB Bobby Okereke (2)

Key additions in free agency

• TE Isaiah Likely
• LB Tremaine Edmunds
• WR Darnell Mooney
• WR Calvin Austin III
• FB Patrick Ricard
• CB Greg Newsome II

2026 Draft class

• LB Arvell Reese
• OL Francis Mauigoa
• CB Colton Hood
• WR Malachi Fields
• DT Bobby Jamison-Travis
• OL J.C. Davis
• LB Jack Kelly

Key questions

• When is Malik Nabers coming back? Nabers' injury that kept him sidelined for most of the 2025 season has taken longer for him to recover from than expected. The Giants still hope he can be ready for Week 1 in September, but head coach John Harbaugh said the injury itself was "not simple" and there isn't a hard timeline for when he will be back in the lineup. What we do know is that Nabers was one of the most electric offensive players in the NFL in 2024 with 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns. The Giants did a lot in the offseason to elevate the talent level around Dart, but getting Nabers back could turn their receiver room into arguably one of the better groups in the division. Of course, it will take time for him to get back to full strength whenever he does get on the active roster, but he will be a key piece to any success the Giants have this upcoming season.

• Can Jaxson Dart protect himself? The Giants foresee a bright future for Dart, and the former first-round pick did plenty to get the franchise excited for him as their franchise quarterback. He had stretches where he was accurate with the football and only had five interceptions. He's a threat with his legs, as he led the team in rushing touchdowns with 487 rushing yards. He also plays with reckless abandonment, which can be fun to watch but also puts his health at risk. He missed two games with a concussion, which led to Jameis Winston taking over in Weeks 11 and 12. Going forward, perhaps Dart's biggest challenge will be learning how to balance his aggressive style with playing safer and staying on the field. Granted, it's a lesson all players have to learn, but the Giants need to find a long-term answer at quarterback. They believe Dart could be that answer, but that can't happen if he's on the sideline for multiple games every season.

• How long will it take for John Harbaugh to turn the franchise around? It's been a while since the Giants had any measure of consistent success. Their lone winning season in the past nine seasons came in 2022, and they were eliminated in the divisional round of the playoffs after a 9-7-1 regular season. But the Giants also haven't posted back-to-back winning seasons since the 2010-12 seasons, which also included a Super Bowl run. The Giants hired Harbaugh to turn their franchise around, and he quickly got to work by overturning the staff and bringing in more talent on both sides of the ball. He got two first-round picks in this year's draft -- Reese and Mauigoa -- who the team believes can be cornerstones for its success going forward. But there are still several factors working against the Giants. Aside from the questions on their own roster like Dart's development and Nabers' health, they're also in a difficult division where they must regularly compete against the Commanders, who they haven't beaten in the last two seasons, Cowboys and Eagles. There's also the question of how long it will take for Harbaugh's sweeping new policies to stick. There is reason to believe it will be a quick turnaround; they have one of the best defensive fronts in the sport and exciting pieces on offense. However, given how long it's been since the Giants were serious contenders, there will need to be a proof of concept before they can be viewed as a team on the rise.