Notes and statistics to get you ready for the season opener between the New York Giants and Washington Commanders:

THE MATCHUP

Sunday will be the 185^th regular-season meeting between the Giants and Commanders. The Giants lead the all-time series 107-72-5, but they lost both matchups in 2024 by a combined eight points. Nine of their past 11 games against each other have been decided by one possession, including two overtimes and one tie.

GIANT NUMBERS TO KNOW

Russell Wilson will make his 200^th regular-season start on Sunday, but it will be his first with the Giants. The 10-time Pro Bowler started 199 games with the Seahawks (2012-21), Broncos (2022-23), and Steelers (2024). His 99.8 career passer rating ranks fifth in NFL history (minimum 1,500 pass attempts).

Wilson is 121-77-1 as a starter in the regular season and 9-8 in the postseason, including two Super Bowl appearances. Wilson won Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seahawks, a 43-8 victory over the Broncos, at MetLife Stadium. Wilson, the 2020 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, has recorded 101 career regular-season games with a passer rating of 100.0+ since Seattle selected him in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft, most in the league over that span. His 350 passing touchdowns since 2012 are second-most in the NFL. On the ground, Wilson has rushed 1,024 times (second in NFL history among quarterbacks) for 5,462 yards (fourth) and 31 touchdowns (tied for 20th). He is the lone quarterback in NFL history to accumulate 40,000+ passing yards and 5,000+ rushing yards for his career.

Wilson is a perfect 4-0 at MetLife Stadium, all as a member of the Seahawks. He defeated the Giants there in 2013 and 2017, the Broncos in the Super Bowl, and the Jets in 2016. His 117.1 passer rating in those games is the highest among 34 quarterbacks with at least four starts at MetLife Stadium, including postseason. According to NFL Research, Wilson would be the fourth quarterback to start a home game at a stadium in which he previously won a Super Bowl. The others are Matthew Stafford (SoFi Stadium), Tom Brady (Raymond James Stadium), and Joe Montana (Stanford Stadium).

Last season, wide receiver Malik Nabers and running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. became the third rookie duo in NFL history with 1,000 scrimmage yards each. They joined Reggie Bush and Marques Colston of the 2006 Saints and Abner Haynes and Johnny Robinson of the 1960 Dallas Texans.

With 109 receptions, the rookie Nabers broke Steve Smith's franchise record of 107, which had stood since 2009. Nabers' 109 receptions were also the most by a rookie wide receiver and the second-most by any rookie ever, behind only tight end Brock Bowers, who caught 112 passes in 2024.

Brian Burns is one of eight players ever to record at least 7.5 sacks in each of his first six seasons (Reggie White, Derrick Thomas, DeMarcus Ware, Jared Allen, Aaron Donald, Ryan Kerrigan, and Yannick Ngakoue). Burns is only one of two players with 7.5+ sacks in every season since 2019. The other is Cleveland's Myles Garrett.

Burns will be joined by rookie and third overall pick Abdul Carter, who led the nation with 23.5 tackles for loss in 2024 and was the 15th Unanimous All-American in Penn State history.

THE OPPONENT

The Commanders, led by coach Dan Quinn, ended some notable droughts in 2024: NFC Championship Game appearance (32 seasons), postseason victory (18), 10+ win season (11), and winning season (seven).

Washington averaged the most points per game (28.5) by any team with a rookie quarterback as its leading passer in NFL history. Of course, that would be Jayden Daniels, the reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and former LSU teammate of Malik Nabers.

Daniels set the all-time rookie records for completion percentage (69.0), rush yards by a quarterback (891), and total offensive yards, including postseason (5,416).

The Commanders traded for wide receiver Deebo Samuel in March, sending a 2025 fifth-round draft pick to the 49ers. According to NFL Research, Samuel is one of four players in NFL history with 4,000+ receiving yards and 1,000+ rush yards through their first six career seasons. The others are all in the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Charley Taylor, Lenny Moore, Bobby Mitchell).

Wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who signed a contract extension in August, set the franchise record for most touchdown catches (13) last season. This will be the first time in McClaurin's career that he will play with the same primary starting quarterback from the year before (Daniels in 2024, Sam Howell in 2023, Carson Wentz in 2022, Taylor Heinicke in 2021, Alex Smith in 2020, Case Keenum in 2019).

That's good news for the Commanders after McLaurin and Daniels boasted the second-highest passer rating (130.4) among QB-WR duos in 2024, with a minimum of 75 targets. Only Detroit's Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown (134.5) were better.

The Giants held McClaurin to 41 receiving yards in two games last season, but he did have two touchdowns (on two catches) in the second leg of the series.

Washington is projected to have a different starting offensive lineman at four positions in 2024, including left tackle Laremy Tunsil (acquired via trade) and rookie right tackle Josh Conerly Jr. (drafted 29^th overall).

Defensively, the Commanders improved from last to third in fewest passing yards allowed (189.5) in the NFL last season. It only got better when they traded with the Saints in early November for four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore. Including the postseason, the Commanders had more interceptions (six) in Lattimore's five games than they did without him (five in other 15 games) while going 4-1.

NO TWO SEASONS ARE ALIKE…

The Giants play 10 regular-season games against teams who made the postseason in 2024 – Eagles twice, Commanders twice, Packers, Vikings, Chiefs, Chargers, Broncos, and Lions – which is tied for third-most in the league. The Eagles and Lions have the most with 11 apiece.

The Giants' 2025 opponents went 166-123 in 2024, good for a .574 winning percentage, the highest in the NFL. Looking at their NFC East foes, the Eagles have the fourth-toughest schedule in terms of winning percentage (.561); the Cowboys are tied for fifth (.557); and the Commanders are eighth (.550). The San Francisco 49ers, meanwhile, have the "easiest" road in the NFL at .415.

But no two seasons are ever the same, a sentiment that defines the NFL more than any other sports league.

According to NFL Research, four of the past five teams with the "easiest" strength of schedule missed the postseason (2024 Saints and Falcons were tied, 2023 Falcons, 2022 Commanders). Conversely, two of the past four teams with the "hardest" schedule made the postseason (2023 Eagles, 2021 Steelers).

Furthermore, the NFL boasts a streak of 35 consecutive seasons with at least four teams qualifying for the playoffs after missing out the year before. And at least one team has won its division the season after missing the playoffs in 53 of 55 seasons since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. The outliers were 2024 and 1976, the only years in which the division winners were all in the playoffs the prior season.

MILESTONE TRACKER

The Giants are one win away from 750 in franchise history, including postseason. They are 749-689-34 in 100 seasons.

IMPORTANCE OF WEEK 1

In 2024, nine of the 14 playoff teams won their matchup in Week 1. The other five were defeated by a team that went on to make the postseason (KC over BAL, PHI over GB, TB over WAS, DET over LAR).

DID YOU KNOW?

There are 15 Super Bowl rematches on the 2025 NFL regular-season schedule. The Giants, who embark on their 101^st season, account for two of them, both of which will be played on the road. They face the Broncos (XXI) in Week 7 at Empower Field at Mile High and the Patriots (XLII and XLVI) in a Week 13 Monday night game in Foxborough, where coach Brian Daboll won five Super Bowls as an assistant with New England. The Giants will then go on their bye in Week 14, the latest possible slot in the NFL.