Commanders face new challenge against Giants defense

Daniels should also be helped by a significant lack of pressure from the Giants’ defense. Against the Minnesota Vikings, defensive coordinator Shane Bowen sent blitzes to harass Sam Darnold on 19.2% of his snaps, which ranked 26th in the NFL. That number might go up a bit after the Giants saw how Daniels handled pressure, but Quinn expects his quarterback to be more effective from the pocket at use his legs less.

“I’d say some of the checks at the line to go against the blitz. Some of the looks that you showed during the week, we actually hit a few that we wanted a certain play or a certain one on,” Quinn said. “And when you don’t nail them, those are the ones that keep you up as a night as a coach. At the end of it, it’s execution, man. Whether a team’s playing cover two or three, or quarters or blitzes a lot, whatever that identity is you have to be able to adjust and go attack when that comes up.”

No matter what Daniels will see from the Giants’ defense, Quinn wants him to adapt.

“Sometimes there’s changes in the plan that you have to adjust to, and we’ll be ready to do that if they decide to play it in a different way. But you do have to at least look at the experience and develop the game plan based on what you know. And then if it changes, that’s where you adjust.”

Despite the amount of pressure that Daniels faced, he still managed to put up numbers that placed him in the top third of the league. His completion rate of 70.8%, slightly behind Patrick Mahomes’ 71.4%, and his passer rating of 93.1 both ranked 11th among quarterbacks.

Though the Giants’ secondary boasts quality players like Deonte Banks, a rookie starter in 2023, and Adoree Jackson, they still allowed Darnold to have a clean day against them. He completed 19 of 24 passes for 208 yards with two touchdowns and just one interception. He earned a QBR of 81, which ranked eighth in the league.