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Storylines to follow in Giants' season opener

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Well folks, the wait is over.

Week 1 is finally here as the New York Giants will head to Washington to take on the Commanders in the season opener this Sunday.

The Giants are coming off their most dominant preseason performance in franchise history. Brian Daboll's squad won all three contests, and more impressively, they topped the 30-point mark in three consecutive preseason games for the first time ever. The Commanders, on the other hand, went 0-3 in the preseason, although head coach Dan Quinn opted not to play the starters much, if at all, heading into Week 1.

Here are storylines to follow in Week 1.

Starting the season strong

Following the dominant performance in the preseason, the Giants will look to carry over their strong August play to Week 1. Every team across the NFL is looking to start the year on a positive note with a victory, but when your season opener is against a divisional opponent, it adds more significance. The Commanders went 2-0 against the Giants last season, although both were one-possession games. While Daboll and the rest of the coaching staff will obviously use last year's tape to prepare for Sunday's game, the head coach acknowledged that it can only help so much as a lot changes in the NFL from one year to the next.

"Our focus is solely on this week on Washington and the players and their schemes," Daboll told the media Monday. "That's unique about the first game of the season. You don't know, you can study all the tape you want to study from the previous year schematically, the players, that helps quite a bit, strengths and weaknesses. But, you don't know how they're going to play or what they're going to do different. They've had a whole offseason to prepare and study and look at the things that they think they can do well. So that's the first game of the season every year is being able to adjust and do the things you need to in-game."

The first loss against the Commanders last year dropped the Giants to 0-2, a start they are looking to avoid this season. Meanwhile, that Week 2 win over the Giants was the first of the year for the Commanders in a season that ended in the NFC Championship.

One thing that has become abundantly clear in recent weeks is that the Giants are not going to allow what happened last year to affect their mindset going into Week 1. The past is the past and Sunday represents a brand new campaign.

"To start off with, you're talking about years past," running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. said when asked about the team's previous slow starts. "You're talking about eight years ago. That has nothing to do with what we have going on right now. You're talking about we started slow eight years in a row. That has nothing to do with the people we have on our team. The people we have on our team weren't here eight years ago. Do you understand what I'm saying?

"So, it really doesn't matter what happened last year or what happened two years ago. Just like my personal stats from last year don't matter right now. What I did in college doesn't matter right now. Everything you're talking about from the past, I understand we've got to get off to a fast start, but it has nothing to do with what we have going on right now. We're trying to go out there and play our best ball for the first game of the 2025 season. Obviously, if you win that first game, it's kind of a ripple effect into the next game. We're trying to go out there and have a fast start. But with the stats of going back to the past, that has nothing to do with what we're doing here."

See the best photos from Wednesday's practice at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center.

Can the offense keep rolling?

The Giants' offense was firing on all cylinders in August. When the preseason came to a close, the Giants finished with 107 total points across the three contests. This marked the first time ever that the team scored 30 or more points in three straight preseason games. After the Giants finished in the bottom three in the NFL in points scored in each of the last two seasons, it was encouraging to see the unit get the 2025 campaign off on a positive note, albeit in preseason matchups.

The Giants are returning 10 of 11 starters on the offensive side of the ball from last year. Of course, the one change is at the most important position with Russell Wilson set to make his official Giants debut this Sunday. Wilson performed well all summer as he showed off his strong arm and great accuracy in both the preseason games and training camp practices.

"You know that it's a division game, you know the significance of it, you know all of that," Wilson said last week. "But at the end of the day, too, focus on the moment, focus on each day, just being great, and just being great mentally as well, and understanding that you're just getting ready for that moment. You don't want to get too high, too early. That's just kind of honestly me too, is just trying to stay neutral. I believe in just staying right here through the high moments, the tough moments, the great ones, the preparation moments, just understanding what we're getting to, and just kind of let it build up and get ready to rock and roll."

"Russ is consistent as they come so his preparation in an OTA, preseason, training camp practice, is at an elite level," Daboll added on Monday. "And I know he's been doing a lot of film work and I know he'll show a lot of the young guys, particularly in the quarterback room but meeting with the skill guys, the offensive line, what it looks like from his point of view, which is, I'd say, very good at preparation. He knows the league, he's done it for a long time, but it's good to have a guy like that in the room."

The Commanders' defense was middle of the pack in 2024, finishing 18th in points allowed and 13th in yards. However, the passing defense was excellent as the unit ranked third in passing yards surrendered. Wilson faced the Commanders last year as a member of the Steelers. Pittsburgh won the game, 28-27, with the veteran quarterback completing a 32-yard game-winning touchdown pass to Mike Williams with just over two minutes remaining. Wilson finished the game with 195 passing yards, three touchdowns, one interception and a 93.6 passer rating.

Malik ready for Year 2

Perhaps the biggest beneficiary of Wilson being added to the offense is Malik Nabers. The young receiver is coming off a record-setting rookie year, one that saw him create a new franchise record with his 109 receptions, which resulted in 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns. His 109 catches ranked fifth in the NFL, while his 80.3 receiving yards per game finished sixth. Additionally, his 14 games with five or more catches set a new all-time rookie record. To no one's surprise, Nabers was named to the Pro Bowl as a rookie.

Now heading into Year 2 and with Wilson under center, the sky is the limit for Nabers. Despite missing time in the spring and during training camp, the 22-year-old wideout has been doing everything he can to help develop chemistry between him and the veteran quarterback.

"We had a lot of time together as a whole offensive group, we had some time to spend out in California with him in San Diego, so we had a lot of time," Nabers said about offseason workouts with Wilson. "With the spring, I wasn't able to really do those types of things because I was dealing with what I had going on at the time. I still was continuing to get catches after practice with him, seeing what he sees and what he thinks, continue to watch football with him, hearing his thoughts, how he wants things to be run, asking me how I like things to be run I think we've been on the same page a lot.

"That connection's going to keep growing. It can never be as great as we want it to be but it's going to be as good as we hope it's going to be, but we continue to still get work, try to get those catches in and out but the relationship has been going great.

Across the two games against the Commanders last year, Nabers caught 19 passes for 186 yards and a touchdown. However, the star receiver will have a much different matchup on an individual basis this Sunday as the second-year wideout is likely to see a lot of cornerback Marshon Lattimore. The veteran corner was traded to Washington last year after the two teams had already met twice, making this Lattimore's debut against the Giants as a member of the Commanders.

View photos from the all-time series between the New York Giants and the Washington Commanders.

Defense debuts vs. Daniels

While the offense did not undergo too many changes, at least in the starting lineup, the same cannot be said about the Giants' defense. The front office put a lot of resources towards improving the defense this offseason, and the results started to show during the preseason. The defense surrendered a total of 47 points across the three contests, an average of 15.7 points per game, including two games where the defense held its opponent to 12 points or less.

Sunday's game in Washington will be the first time we see the team's pass rush fully unleashed. The Giants spent the third overall pick on Abdul Carter, adding him to a front that already included Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns, and Kayvon Thibodeaux. This defensive line has the potential to be one of the league's elite units, with other newcomers such as Roy Robertson-Harris, Chauncey Golston and Darius Alexander also set to contribute in a big way. At one point towards the middle of last season, the Giants were on pace to set a new single-season sack record. The numbers fell off due in part to injuries to Lawrence and Thibodeaux, but with everyone now healthy and Carter in the fold, this unit could end up being the strength of the 2025 Giants.

The biggest changes on defense come in the secondary, where Paulson Adebo and Jevón Holland both bring plenty of experience to an otherwise young DB room. The two veterans have provided the secondary with a big boost on the field while also helping to mentor Dru Phillips, Deonte Banks, Cor'Dale Flott, Tyler Nubin, and Dane Belton, among others, off the field. The Giants are going to need the entire defense to step up on Sunday as they kick the season off with a matchup against the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year in Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels.

"He's a dynamic football player, he's accurate, he's good under pressure, he's good in situations," Daboll told reporters this week. "He can bring his team from behind, he gives his players opportunities to make plays in the passing game and he's unique in the running game, the way they utilize him. He's a tremendous football player, so I expect to see a tremendous football player."

"He's a great quarterback, brings a lot to the table in the run game and passing game," Dru Phillips added. "Our game plan is our game plan. It's just try to contain him and do what we can do."

Injury updates; Thomas limited

With the season set to begin, the Giants enter Week 1 relatively healthy. The biggest question mark in regards to the injury report comes at left tackle, where Andrew Thomas continues to work his way back from last year's foot injury. Thomas was sidelined for the offseason workout program and the first few weeks of training camp, but he passed his physical and returned to practice on August 19.

The Giants have been cautious with their star left tackle as they want to make sure he is 100 percent before he returns to game action. Before Wednesday's practice, Daboll told reporters Thomas is "improving" each day. The left tackle was listed as a limited participant on Wednesday's injury report.

If Thomas is unable to suit up Sunday, veteran James Hudson III will likely start at left tackle. If that turns out to be the case, Daboll is confident that Hudson and the rest of the offensive line can make up for Thomas' absence.

"He's a guy I'm glad we signed," Daboll said Monday about Hudson. "He's done everything we've asked him to do, just like all the other guys have. Offensive line is five collective guys seeing it through the same set of eyes, or two tight ends, one tight end, whatever it may be. So those guys are doing everything they can do each day to be as productive as they can."

Thomas was the only player listed on Wednesday's injury report.

View photos of the New York Giants' 2025 roster as it currently stands.

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