J.J. McCarthy makes his first Giants home start against the desperate Commanders

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Riffing off John Harbaugh's stated aim of going 1-0 each week, Malik Nabers thinks the New York Giants' game Thursday night against Washington is worth double after their meeting last month ended with neither team getting a victory .

“We’re trying to go 2-0 since we finished off in a tie last time, which we should have won,” New York's top receiver said.

His coach agrees.

“This is for all the marbles,” Harbaugh said. “It’s a tie right now. This is the tiebreaker.”

That is their perspective, but the gap is much wider. Nabers, Harbaugh and the Giants at 5-2-1 are looking to pad their lead atop the mediocre NFC East, while the 2-5-1 Commanders are playing to keep their fading hopes going and save their season.

“This is a very important one for the team: Stay in the fight,” Washington offensive lineman Sam Cosmi said. "They’re the divisional leaders, so it is a must-win in that aspect of things. Any time we lose, we just continuously dig a deeper hole. ... From now on, I think a lot of these games are going to be must-win games to have our name in the running for playoffs.”

Despite losing their most important player on offense, quarterback Jaxson Dart, and defense, linebacker Brian Burns, the Giants are in the driver's seat to finish first in the division and host a playoff game. They have a long way to go.

The next step toward completing that goal is winning in primetime in QB J.J. McCarthy's first home start since joining in a trade from Minnesota in late September. McCarthy is set to play despite injuring his right hip Sunday at Philadelphia and returning to finish the game.

“The importance is to be out there as much as I possibly can,” said McCarthy, whose rookie year in 2024 was wiped out by torn meniscus in his right knee and last season with the Vikings limited to 10 games by multiple other injuries. “No matter what happens, no matter what narratives one can draw, it’s being out there with my brothers and doing whatever I can to help the team be successful.”

McCarthy is facing a familiar look, given that Washington defensive coordinator Daronte Jones was an assistant on staff in Minnesota from 2023-25 under Brian Flores. The Commanders rank third-worst in the NFL against the pass.

“Just keep watching the film, seeing what he does, understanding how they’re going to use him in that scheme,” said Commanders cornerback Mike Sainristil, who was college teammates with McCarthy when they won the national title at Michigan. "Coach is going to do a great job to make sure we’re going to be set up the right way to go out there and execute. We just have to make sure as players we do that.”

Washington (2-5-1) at N.Y. Giants (5-2-1)

When/where to watch: Thursday, 8:15 p.m. EST, Amazon Prime.

Latest odds: Giants by 2½.

Against the spread: Commanders 4-4; Giants 6-2.

Last week: Commanders lost to Rams 20-13; Giants beat Eagles 19-11.

Last meeting: Giants and Commanders tied 27-27 on Oct. 11 at Washington.

Series record: Giants lead 108-75-6.

Giants running back Cam Skattebo vs. the Commanders defense. Rain is in the forecast, and Skattebo is good to go after tearing a hamstring muscle in overtime Oct. 25 at Houston and missing the Eagles game. Washington is actually 12th in the league against the rush, and Skattebo could again get the bulk of the carries, especially after no trade materialized for Jonathan Taylor.

— Washington won the previous four meetings before the tie earlier this season. The last time the Giants beat the Commanders was Nov. 19, 2023.

— The Commanders last won a Thursday night game in 2022.

— Jayden Daniels is one of only 33 quarterbacks who have thrown at least 110 passes this season without an interception.

— Running back Rachaad White has 83 yards on 17 carries over the past two weeks.

— Receiver Stefon Diggs is one touchdown catch away from being the 30th player in league history to 80 in his career.

— Linebacker Sonny Styles, taken with the seventh pick in the draft, is the only rookie with 13-plus tackles in three games.

— McCarthy is 43 of 68 for 622 yards, a TD and an interception with the Giants. That includes a relief appearance and two starts.

— Without Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy, the Giants had only 51 yards rushing from running backs at Philadelphia.

— Nabers had his streak of 100-yard receiving games snapped at four by catching five passes for 43 against the Eagles.

— Rookie linebacker Arvell Reese, taken with the fifth pick, is the only player this season with 65-plus tackles, eight or more of them for loss, along with at least one interception.

AP Sports Writer Andrew Gillis in Ashburn, Virginia, contributed to this report.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here