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The Commanders should be fired up after the latest report, and there's absolutely no reason to lose to the Giants because of it
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The Commanders should be fired up after the latest report, and there's absolutely no reason to lose to the Giants because of it

Originally posted on A to Z Sports  |  By Josh Taylor  |  Last updated Sep 5, 2025 7:27 PM ET

The Washington Commanders have been preparing for Week 1 all offseason, and now it's time to put all that practice on the field against the New York Giants. The team has to start hot to go 1-0 in the NFC East, and the best way to do so is by having all of your players available on Sunday.

There have been a couple of injuries this past few weeks, and questions about Terry McLaurin's status as he just joined the team for the first time recently, but the latest reports show nothing but positive signs for the Commanders.

NFC East matchups are never easy, and the Commanders will have a full army with a clean injury report for Week 1.

All hands on deck

The Commanders got healthy at the perfect time, and everyone is officially ready to go on Sunday. McLaurin dealt with an ankle injury and rust before his contract got extended, and Noah Brown dealt with a knee injury that he suffered back during mini-camp.

When the team released the first injury report on Tuesday, it showed that Brown, cornerback Jonathan Jones, and starting defensive end Dorance Armstrong were all limited in practice. That changed on Friday as Brown and Jones had a scheduled rest day, and head coach Dan Quinn told the media that everyone is clear for Sunday's regular-season kickoff.

The Commanders start the season with a fully healthy team, a happily paid All-Pro wide receiver, and absolutely no reason to lose on Sunday. The Giants, however, can't say the same as they have their own injuries to deal with, including two of their best players.

The Giants may be without a major piece on offense

I've been monitoring the injury situation with star left tackle Andrew Thomas, who is still recovering from his Lisfranc foot injury that he suffered last season, and he's been slowly ramping up his rehab process. He's been trending towards not playing with gameday approaching faster than he needs it to, and it would be a major surprise if he plays on Sunday.

The Giants held Thomas out of practice on Thursday, and they followed it up by placing him as "doubtful" for the game on Sunday.

I wrote about how I didn't think Thomas would play , and that either rookie Marcus Mbow or veteran swing tackle James Hudson III would have to start at left tackle instead. This is a big advantage for the Commanders' defense, and maybe defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. will bring some extra blitzes from the left side with LB Frankie Luvu.

Thomas isn't the only injury the Giants are worried about, as star WR Malik Nabers also missed practice on Friday with back tightness, but he is expected to play Sunday.

Even if he does play on Sunday, how well will Nabers feel? Getting tackled the wrong way or a bad landing can set him back with his injury (no pun intended). The Commanders will still have to make sure they don't let Nabers do what he did last season, and the secondary is much improved to do so.

The Commanders are heading into Sunday with a full team ready to go, while the Giants monitor two important pieces on offense that they will need for the long haul. Maybe they hold back Thomas, and keep Nabers on a snap count and not risk a more long-term injury?

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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