Giants vs. Commanders Week 15 preview: What you need to know for gameday
Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka answers questions from reporters training camp in East Rutherford, N.J., on Aug. 8. Credit: Noah K. Murray
VITALS
Line: Commanders by 3.5; O/U: 40.5.
TV/Radio: NBC (Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth); / WFAN-660 AM; Sirius 135 or 228 and the SXM app.
NOTABLE INJURIES
GIANTS
OUT: OUT: CB Adoree’ Jackson (knee), G Shane Lemieux (toe), G Josh Ezeudu (neck), LB Elerson Smith (Achiles/IR); QUESTIONABLE: DL Leonard Williams (neck), TE Daniel Bellinger (ribs), CB Nick McCloud (illness).
COMMANDERS
OUT: OL Saahdiq Charles (concussion); QUESTIONABLE: DE Chase Young (knee), WR Cam Sims (back), CB Benjamin St.-Juste (ankle), DL Efe Obada (finger).
THE VOICE
Brian Daboll has expressed confidence in offensive coordinator Mike Kafka calling the plays this season, and that will continue this week even as Kafka may be facing his greatest hurdle yet in that role: A raspy voice and sore throat.
“Just that time of year,” Kafka croaked through his diminished vocals. “And three kids under six.”
In all seriousness, having someone whose words may not be as clear and audible as usual on the radio relaying plays to the quarterback on the field at a road game could be a problem. It will help that Kafka typically works in the booth, which is less cacophonous than the sideline.
Daboll said Kafka will call the plays Sunday night no matter what he sounds like. Just to be sure, though, Daboll half-joked that he has implemented a plan on Friday to make that happen.
“I gave him some cough drops,” Daboll said.
WHOSE SIDE IS TIME ON?
Washington owns the best average time of possession in the NFL and controlled the ball for a season-long 41 minutes, 11 seconds against the Giants in the first meeting two weeks ago, over 12 minutes more than the Giants had it.
“They are a team that prides themselves on running the ball, maintaining possession, so we’ve got to stop the run,” safety Julian Love said. “I think that’s a premium in this game. That’s how they try to play the game… We’ve got to execute and win the field position better. That’s kind of the stuff we need to focus on.”
The Giants offense can play a role in that too by sustaining drives and running it themselves. Last time Saquon Barkley had just 63 yards on 18 carries. They scored two touchdowns and kicked two field goals in four consecutive series spanning the second and third quarters, but the Giants also punted seven times, lost a fumble, took a knee at the end of the fourth quarter and missed a long field goal attempt on the game’s final play.
“You always want to score every time you touch the football, but you’ve also got to understand the flow of the game,” Kafka said. “There’s never a play call where you’re like, ‘This play is not going to score.’ That’s not the mentality you have. But you’ve got to be able to manage the game and call the game that you see is going to get the offense to be the most successful.”
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
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