4 problems the Giants need to fix before facing the Commanders in Week 2

2. Stopping the run

The Giants didn’t exactly let Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison have breakout games against them. Jefferson was held to just 59 yards and Addison was held to 35 yards. So, that was a win for the defense, even if Jefferson did find the end zone once.

What was not a win for the Giants defense under new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen was the ability to stop the run and particularly, veteran Aaron Jones, who ran for almost 100 yards and a 6.7 yards per carry clip. Jones also had two catches for 15 yards, but he burned the Giants on the ground when he carried it.

It’s bad enough when the pass-rush can’t get to the quarterback, but when the run-defense can’t stop anyone, it’s generally going to be a long day for anyone’s defense, and that was exactly the case on Sunday, as Jones made the Giants look silly all game.

The Commanders' top rusher from Week 1 was Jayden Daniels, who had 88 yards rushing with two touchdowns. Brian Robinson Jr. had 40 yards with a touchdown and Austin Ekeler had just 10 yards, so a 138-yard effort with three touchdowns was had by the Commanders' running attack.

If the Giants defense lets Daniels run all over them like he did to the Buccaneers and make plays with his legs, it could be another long day for this team. They absolutely have to stop the run if they want a chance of competing for a victory on Sunday.

Coming up next: Will Danny Dimes deliver?