Commanders vs. Giants: Three must-know storylines for Thursday's Week 10 prime-time game

It's now or never for the Commanders. After falling to 2-5-1, they get a rematch with the Giants five weeks after the teams played to a 27-27 tie in a game that was notable mostly for botched decision-making in overtime.

A loss on Thursday night would crush Washington's chances of finding its way into the playoff race, while a win could give Dan Quinn's crew at least a sliver of hope. As for John Harbaugh's Giants -- alone atop the NFC East as one of the year's biggest surprises -- they have an opportunity to put even more distance between themselves and their rivals as they chase their first division title since 2011.

Let's take a closer look at three key subplots for the prime-time tilt.

Three must-know storylines

1) Will J.J. McCarthy be hindered by injury? McCarthy's comeback campaign was interrupted last week, when he missed 16 third quarter snaps against the Eagles with a hip ailment. He's expected to start on Thursday night, but will we see the same version of the former first-round pick that has admirably filled a desperate need for the Giants since he was traded from the Vikings in late September? McCarthy completed just 3 of 7 passes for 26 yards (a meager 4.3 yards per attempt) after returning from the injury against Philly. The sample size is still too small -- he's made two starts for the G-Men -- to make any bold proclamations, but McCarthy has shown signs of dramatically turning things around with his new team. For example, he has targeted receivers outside the numbers on 41.2% of his passes in 2026 (NFL average: 37.8%), completing 17 of 28 throws (61%) for 339 yards and averaging 12.1 yards per attempt, which would lead the league if he can keep such a pace (C.J. Stroud leads among qualified QBs with 9.6), per Next Gen Stats. Last season with Minnesota, McCarthy completed 55% of his throws outside the numbers (66 of 120) with an average of just 6.5 yards per attempt. This season McCarthy has a 32.1% explosive pass rate on throws outside the numbers, nearly double the NFL average (16.5%). If his health cooperates, the opportunities to make plays down the field should be there for the third-year QB. The Commanders have allowed the third-most passing yards per game (240).

2) Will Jayden Daniels find redemption? Daniels blamed himself for the Commanders' mishandling of the clock late in Week 5’s tie with the Giants, overshadowing a day in which he became the first QB in NFL history to rush for 100+ yards and two or more touchdowns in a game against the G-Men. It was a missed opportunity in a season full of them for Washington so far. Flipping the script on the division leaders in their own house could provide the Commanders some much-needed nourishment, though. The electric Daniels certainly has the tools to make New York's aggressive defense pay for sending extra rushers at a wobbly offensive line. The Giants blitzed Daniels on 62.2% of his dropbacks in Week 5, their highest rate in a game this season. Daniels took four sacks against the blitz, but he still completed 11 of his 18 pass attempts for 131 yards and scrambled 38 yards for a touchdown. Daniels makes the Washington offense go, but it would be nice if the team could take some heat off of the third-year QB by finding a way to spring its other ball-carriers. Commanders running backs have recorded 10 explosive runs this season, tied for second-fewest in the NFL. They've combined to produce -84 rushing yards over expected (seventh-fewest). Daniels can't do it all on his own against a defense that ranks fifth in yards allowed per game.

3) Leading DROY candidate emerging. Giants linebacker Arvell Reese is coming off a monster game that put him in the driver's seat to be crowned this year's best defensive rookie, recording 12 tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble against the Eagles. The buzz around the fifth overall pick of this year's draft has been building all season, and a big game in front of a national audience might all but clinch the trophy. Some viewed Reese as the top talent in the 2026 NFL Draft, and he's well on his way to proving that assertion correct. He's quickly become the driving force behind a defense that has forced a three-and-out on 34.8% of opponent drives this season, the highest rate by any defense in a season since at least 2016, per Next Gen Stats. We can't count one of Reese's Ohio State teammates out of the DROY race just yet, though. The Commanders also feature a contender in linebacker Sonny Styles, who -- like Reese -- leads his team in tackles. He's racked up 13 tackles in three of the past four contests, including the Week 5 game against the Giants. The former Buckeyes have the potential to make life miserable for both offenses on Thursday night.