NFL
New Commanders, New Results vs. Giants in Week 2 Win
LANDOVER, Md. — The Washington Commanders improved to 1-1 on the season with a 21-18 win over the New York Giants in the newly named Northwest Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The win breaks a four game winless streak for the Commanders and is the first win over the Giants for this franchise since January of 2022 at the end of the 2021 NFL Season.
Back then, guys like quarterback Jayden Daniels weren’t even in the league let alone worrying about helping Washington get a win over one of the more frustrating rivals in the NFC East as of late, but the new faces turned out to be just what the franchise needed.
READ MORE: Kicking Changed Everything in Commanders Win vs. Giants
/ Luke Johnson-Imagn Images
In a particularly critical stretch, as the team drove down for the game-winning field goal, two other new faces showed up to help the Commanders secure their first win of the season.
On 2nd and 10 from its own 23 yard line and just under two minutes left in a tie ballgame, Daniels found Washington receiver Noah Brown 19 yards downfield and the receiver tacked 15 yards onto it for a total gain of 34 yards and a first down near field goal range.
“We had a three-minute concept, front-side over to the left,” Daniels said of the play. “(The) defense covered that really well and (I) was able to get back to the end cut with Noah. We kind of hit it earlier in the game when he made a nice catch…and he was able to win that route. I got the time (I) needed, and he was able to beat the safety with the ball, and he took it from there.”
Brown spent time with Commanders head coach Dan Quinn when the two were with the Dallas Cowboys before the receiver joined the Houston Texans and the coach eventually took the lead job here.
After the Texans released Brown following an injury-plagued last year or so there was little hesitation in the two reuniting in Washington. And in his first game action of the season, the new receiver was able to help his former – and now current – coach get his first win of the year.
“I was just happy to make the play,” said Brown. “Just trying to focus in and execute on what I got to do in that moment to help us win and I was able to do that.”
Another new face helping the Commanders exorcise the New York demons that have plagued the franchise for years was kicker Austin Seibert who just signed with the team on Monday and is the fifth kicker to wear burgundy and gold this year.
His record-setting seven made field goals accounted for all 21 points.
“That’s huge, those are the kind of guys you want on the team you know,” Brown said of Seibert. “Wasn’t around us for the whole training camp kind of like myself but he comes in and he executes, and it couldn’t have gone any better for him. I’m happy for him, proud of him, and he was a huge part of this win.”
READ MORE: Commanders Kicker Sets Franchise Record In Debut
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