The Washington Commanders are traveling to the Meadowlands to take on the New York Giants. Here are three keys to breaking their losing streak.
1. Put pressure on Jaxson Dart.
Although the Commanders ended up with four sacks on J.J. McCarthy, they didn't bring much pressure to disrupt the Vikings quarterback. He was blitzed just nine times in the 31-0 Vikings win, and he made the Commanders pay for it with his best completion rate (69%) of the season.
The Commanders' situation is understandable; they haven't had the teeth to formulate a formidable pass rush in weeks with their top three defensive ends out for the season. Still, they cannot afford to let Dart sit in the pocket and pick them apart. Dart has completed 71.9% of his passes in a clean pocket this season compared to 41% when under pressure -- ranked 53rd in the league -- according to Pro Football Focus.
The good news for Washington is that the Giants don't have a player of Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson's caliber on their roster right now. That should allow them to play more man coverage, which they ran more than most teams in the NFL prior to Dan Quinn taking over as the defensive coordinator, and blitz more. Dart makes some of the lowest turnover-worthy plays when under pressure, but it at least disrupts the offense's flow.
What's more, the pressure tends to result in Dart being sacked. He's been sacked 23 times -- the 11th highest number – in 10 games.
2. Lean on the run game.
Granted, Washington had to abandon their ground game in the second half of the Vikings game. They were down 24-0 midway through the third quarter, which doesn't lend itself to giving Chris Rodriguez, Jeremy McNichols and Jacory Croskey-Merritt many opportunities to carry the football.
Despite being held to just 107 rushing yards last Sunday, the running game remains the best thing about the Commanders' offense. Although they're 13th in rushing attempts, they rank fourth in rushing yards per game and seventh in rushing yards per attempt. They're particularly effective when running to the left, as the combination of Laremy Tunsil and Chris Paul has created several running lanes.
The Commanders are set up to have a strong day on the ground at MetLife Stadium. The Giants are 31st in rushing yards allowed per game and allow the seventh most rushing first downs in the league. They'vealso allowed the third most rushing touchdowns this season. And one more thing: they're allowing 5.8 yards per carry -- the most in the league.
3. Get off the field on third down.
The Vikings have one of the league's worst third-down offenses, but you wouldn't have guessed that looking at the stat sheet from last weekend's game. They converted six of their 11 attempts against the Commanders after the Seattle Seahawks held them to 2-of-10 the week before.
The Giants present a more difficult challenge, converting 41.14% of their third downs. Dart's legs provide the Giants with an extra dimension for defenses to account for. He leads the team with seven rushing touchdowns and is second on the team with 5.5 yards per carry. In the passing game, tight end Theo Johnson ranks second on the team in targets, receptions and yards. Twenty-three of his 42 receptions have resulted in first downs.
There were several reasons why the Commanders had problems against the Vikings, but one of the biggest was that they allowed McCarthy to get in a rhythm and gave him easier looks to dissect. Dart has proven he can be a potent threat to any defense, holding his own against teams like the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears.
The Commanders only forced one punt from the Vikings last week. They will need to do better than that to give themselves a chance against the Giants.
