Week 15’s Commanders-Giants game will be a SNF matchup originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Week 15’s matchup between the Commanders and Giants at FedEx Field will be a primetime affair, the team announced Monday.
For the first time since Week 3 of the 2017 campaign, the franchise will host a Sunday night game when they welcome Brian Daboll’s group to its residence. The date of the meeting is Dec. 18. Until Monday, the exact kickoff time was unknown.
Ron Rivera‘s side is currently on its bye.
The contest — duh — will be a pivotal one in the NFC playoff race. Washington will enter it with a 7-5-1 record, while New York will either be 8-4-1 or 7-5-1 as well, depending on how the club fares versus Philadelphia this coming Sunday.
It’ll also represent a chance for the two rivals to sort out the mixed feelings they experienced following their Week 13 tie at MetLife Stadium. 70 minutes of back-and-forth action wasn’t enough to determine a winner in their first go-round of the year, but barring a ridiculous second stalemate, a more concrete result should come from the second clash.
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And, if Jonathan Allen gets his wish, there’ll be a massive and energized crowd ready to back his squad at their home in Maryland for the evening showdown.
“This game that we’re going to play here in two weeks means double,” Allen told reporters after the 20-20 draw with the Giants. “I’m gonna need the fans of the Commanders to really show out. I’m going to provide as many free tickets as I can. We need everybody there. This game could be the season. We need full support and that stadium rocking.”
In addition to the overall importance of the tilt, it could be one where Chase Young, at last, returns. The former second-overall pick hasn’t been in a lineup for roughly 13 months since tearing his ACL in 2021. If there ever was a time for him to come back, doing so post-bye and to begin a crucial winter slate sure looks like an ideal spot.
The downside of the scheduling announcement, however, is that Washington will have a quicker-than-usual turnaround for their Week 16 trip to see the Niners in San Francisco, which will occur the following Saturday on Christmas Eve. That isn’t the best gift, though the Commanders should be somewhat well-rested with the break they’re experiencing in the coming days.
