Commanders 2025 Season Kick-off: Talking with the Giants

Meaningful football is on the horizon, as the Washington Commanders are set to open their 2025 season with a divisional matchup against the New York Giants. The game will take place on Sunday, September 7, 2025, at Northwest Stadium, marking an all-NFC East start to the year.

The absence of star receiver Terry McLaurin from practice remains a concern.

Ongoing contract negotiations have kept McLaurin off the field, and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has voiced his worries about the impact on team chemistry. McLaurin’s presence is especially important for developing rapport with quarterback Jayden Daniels.

While there is hope that General Manager Adam Peters and McLaurin will reach an agreement, uncertainty lingers about his availability for Week 1.

Recent reports indicate that the Defense has been performing strongly in training camp.

On the offensive side, rookie wide receiver Jaylin Lane has made a notable impression, showcasing potential for the upcoming season. Javon Kinlaw is apparently looking leaner and more explosive than ever – a free agent acquisition that was somewhat maligned might well prove to be a very useful pick-up and is, of course, well-known to Peters from his time in San Francisco.

In the lead-up to the season opener, Christian Burt, founder of UKHTTC, reached out to the opposition as the team prepares to face the Giants. The Big Blue UK & Ireland podcast, the only UK & Irish show dedicated to Giants football, continues to provide valuable insights and coverage for fans on both sides of the rivalry. Thank you to Craig for his opinions.

UKHTTC: One of the few bonuses of a poor season is the ability to draft a stud or 2 high up in the Draft. In Abdul Carter it seems the Giants will have a DE to cause many a problem for Washington and others for seasons to come. Early impressions/reports from camp?

Unfortunately for yourselves and the rest of the NFC East, Carter is as advertised and more. He's been a constant threat in both team drills and joint practices with the Jets this week, recording multiple would-be sacks.

All you need to know about Carter can be found in the tape against the Bills in preseason game one. He had six snaps in the game, three of them were pass rushing snaps and he had three pressures. Oh, and they weren’t against just anyone - two of them came against four-time Pro Bowl guard Dion Dawkins. There is a reason that his odds for Defensive Rookie of the Year are dropping rapidly.

Of the free agent pickups, who sets the pulse racing the most leading into 2025? And what pick-up maybe surprised or irritated a little?

If we’re talking about excitement, Paulson Adebo, who was with the Saints last year, is the man. Yes, he's coming off a broken leg, but the Giants desperately needed a true number one cornerback and if we get the pre-injury Adebo, the one who snagged seven picks between 2023 and 2024, then we’re cooking.

The biggest surprise? A quarterback double-header.

When the Giants signed Russell Wilson the thought process was that he would be a bridge for the QB they'd want in the draft which, as we know, ended up being Jaxson Dart. However, Jameis Winston then signed a two-year deal just four days later and with that move it was clear that Joe Schoen wanted to stabilize the quarterback room after the mostly disappointing Jones era.

By getting both he has given Dart a unique mentor duo that offer differing strengths and weaknesses.

With the Danny Dimes-era now firmly over, how do you view the Giants QB-room in 2025 -- who might be the starter by the season-end? High hopes for Wilson to turn back the clock -- or excited about Dart?

So I covered a little of the beginnings of the thoughts above, but we can go a little deeper here.

I think a lot of analysts and beat reporters are convinced that Wilson is washed and that this is purely going to be a matter of how long into season do they hold Dart on the sidelines.

Those arguments are likely the same within our ranks but personally I think Wilson will carry the Giants through the lion's share of the season. He threw for 2,482 yards and 16 touchdowns in 11 games last season after starting for the first time in Week 7. If you look at the stats from then until the seasons end, he finished 12th in yards and touchdown, numbers Giants fans would’ve begged for during the Jones era.

Dart is an exciting prospect though and if his preseason debut is anything to go by, we have a player brimming with self-confidence who has already shown that he can go through progressions, read defenses, stay pocket aware and make difficult, touchdown scoring throws while under duress. The question is how much more the Giants want him to show behind the scenes before they throw him in.

The 3-14 record was obviously a huge disappointment - especially given that Barkley carried the Eagles to SB-success! However, it feels more positive leading into the new season. Is that a Commanders fan wide of the mark -- or is there hope that the Giants can bounce back? On paper the DL for a start looks a real problem for the NFC East.

I think there is a renewed belief amongst fans that this Giants team can restore a bit of pride. The front office have addressed a few of the problematic positions that fans called them out for last season in safety and cornerback and they didn't overthink pulling the trigger on the best player in the draft and then trading up to get their quarterback.

That's not to say that we are expecting a Super Bowl run, but we are expecting a steadying of the ship. A lot of people will point to our strength of schedule as a point of contention, but this game is amazingly unique in how much a roster can change year to year - anything can happen. I think if the Giants can be competitive, win a few close games and show signs of improvement this season that will pacify a lot of fans.

Who will be the Giants MVP and who might be another guy who is a bit 'under the radar'?

The Giants MVP this season is complicated. WR Malik Nabers is a likely option (can't believe it's taken me this long to mention him to be honest) purely because if you can get over 1200 yards catching passes from Daniel Jones, Tommy DeVito and Tim Boyle then he should easily match or exceed that with the current quarterback situation.

Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence and hell even Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux could all be in with a shout since at least two of them will benefit from some one-on-one matchups. You can't double team them all and offensive coordinators are going to have to pick their poison this season.

Under the radar for the Giants I'm going to look at Micah McFadden. McFadden seems to be ignored a lot when people look at the Giants roster but he's a starting linebacker for a reason and has averaged 82 tackles a season since he's been in the league. His coverage leaves a bit to be desired but as a run-stopper and blitzer, he’s been solid.

Week 1 prediction for the Commanders game and overall season placing thoughts for both?

I think the hold out of Terry McLaurin could come back to negatively impact the Commanders especially if he struggles in that opener due to lack of time on the field.

Daniels had an outstanding rookie season, and I think he will have another good year, but a lot of quarterbacks find that 2nd season tough and I don't think he'll be afforded the time he had last season against our defensive front. As of now, and this might change as we get closer to the game, I think the Giants could upset you in a tight game 24-20.

In the terms of the season outlook, I do worry about your ability to repeat last season's close game antics especially when you look at the calibre of quarterbacks that you will face this year compared to 2024. I'd still back Washington to finish above us and the Cowboys though.