The Washington Commanders are coming back home to Northwest Stadium to take on the New York Giants in a division matchup. Here are five keys to the Burgundy & Gold coming away with a win over the Giants for the first time since the 2021 season.

1. Contain Daniel Jones.

Daniels Jones has been one of the Commanders' biggest problems since he was drafted in the first round of the 2019 draft. He's 5-1-1 against them and completed 70% of his passes in those six games. Washington's new regime is not responsible for previous failures to contain Jones, but he will continue to be the top priority for the team until it proves it can do so.

Jones and the Giants' offense looked out of sync in their season opener against the New York Giants. He had the fourth lowest completion rate of his career (52.4%) and threw two interceptions to go with 186 yards on 42 attempts. The Giants' offense suffered as a result, averaging just 3.5 yards per play and converting 39% of third downs while failing to score a touchdown on three red zone trips.

But for whatever reason, Jones tends to have his most dynamic games against the Commanders. He rushed for 71 yards in the 20-20 tie with Washington in 2022 and accounted for 355 yards and two touchdowns in Week 2 of the 2021 season. Several of his past performances, like the 112 yards he put up in Week 6 of the 2020 season, weren't spectacular but just enough to keep Washington at bay.

The best way for Washington to keep Jones in check is to finish plays, which was something the Commanders struggled with against Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mayfield managed to evade Washington's pass-rush and often punished them with explosive plays downfield, most of which occurred on third down.

Quinn's defenses typically do well against Jones, who last suffered a 40-0 defeat in Week 1 against the Cowboys in 2023. Washington had the third highest blitz rate in Week 1, so as long as the pass-rush is able to finish tackles and get Jones on the ground, that should help stymy the Giants' offense.

2. Improve communication.

The Commanders allowed several explosive plays in the secondary -- a problem from last season -- against the Buccaneers, and communication mistakes were at the center of the problem.

Whether it was getting flagged for having too many players on the field or giving up a 32-yard touchdown to Jalen McMillan, the Commanders' defense had lapses that directly led to Tampa Bay either putting up points or keeping the chains moving. Defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. doesn't know the cause of it, but he's determined to make the necessary changes.

"We gotta do -- I gotta do -- a better job of demanding it and I hear it the way that it should be said in the walkthroughs and in practice," Whitt said.

Whitt and Quinn have hinted at several solutions, and that includes simplifying the calls to make sure everyone is on the same page. Whitt also said he stands farther back from team drills and tells his players that the calls need to be loud enough for him to hear them. The players have responded well to these changes with Benjamin St-Juste saying that he plans to talk "every play" against the Giants.

"We're all going to be talking, and we're going to definitely at least eliminate two or three big plays," St-Juste said.

Now that the Commanders have shown they are susceptible to explosive plays, Jones and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka will likely test that on Sunday. They will turn to Malik Nabers, who led the Giants with 66 yards against the Vikings, to flip the field and put them in scoring position. Nabers had the second most touchdowns of at least 20 yards for LSU last season, so the secondary will need to work together to contain him.

3. Protect Jayden Daniels from the Giants' front.

The Commanders' offensive line faced a difficult task against the Buccaneers' defensive line in Week 1. They'll see another one against the Giants with Dexter Lawrence leading a revamped pass-rush.

"I'd say now that [Aaron] Donald is gone, as much of a problem as anybody in the league," offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury said of Lawrence. "I think him and [Las Vegas Raiders DE] Maxx Crosby are probably the two most disruptive D-linemen in the league. [Kansas City Chiefs DT] Chris Jones is another one, but just watching him when he goes head up on your center, it's like 'good luck.'"

Lawrence was one of the few standouts for a Giants defense that underperformed in Week 1. He had a sack and a pass breakup to go with three tackles, earning him the best defensive grade for an interior defender. His pass rush win rate was also fifth among defensive tackles, despite being double-teamed on 53% of his snaps.

The other pieces of the Giants' pass-rush -- Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns -- didn't factor much in the Week 1 results but could still present problems for Washington. About one-third of Thibodeaux's career production has come against Washington, and Burns is a two-time Pro Bowler with 29.5 sacks in the last three seasons.

The Buccaneers brought constant pressure on Jayden Daniels in Week 1, resulting in two sacks. Daniels was able to evade the pressure on several snaps, but it resulted in him carrying the ball 16 times which is not a consistent formula for success. The Giants will likely not rush as much as the Buccaneers, but their front is talented enough to get to Daniels on its own.

So, it will be paramount for the offensive line, led by captain Tyler Biadasz, to hold its own and give Daniels as much time as possible to make plays.

4. Get the receivers more involved.

Washington's receivers were quiet during the team's matchup with the Buccaneers with Luke McCaffrey's 18 yards leading the position. Some of that was because of the group's struggles to create separation, but the amount of pressure thrown at Daniels also sped up his progression, which in turn led to him failing to let some plays develop.

Regardless of the reason, the wide receivers cannot account for a combined 55 yards of production on 12 targets going forward. Some of this can be helped by the team leaning more into its intermediate and deep passing game, neither of which were a factor against the Buccaneers. Most of Daniels' pass attempts went fewer than 10 yards, which contributed to the Commanders ranking last in completed air yards.

After the loss to the Buccaneers, Terry McLaurin said he wants to work with Daniels on how he can get himself and the other receivers more involved for the rest of the season.

"We just didn't quite execute the way that we wanted to, but I'm not discouraged. I have a lot of faith in him over there and I know I'm going to get more opportunities. So, I've just got to stay focused and be ready. Those are the type of plays that change games, so going down the stretch this season we want to try to connect as much as possible."

The Commanders should have more opportunities for explosive passing plays against the Giants' secondary, which allowed Sam Darnold to have the third highest completion rate in Week 1. Darnold completed five of his eight pass attempts that traveled more than 10 yards against the Giants, including a 21-yard touchdown.

5. Convert and prevent third downs.

The Commanders had multiple problems last Sunday, but the inability to stay on the field and keep the opponents off it were the biggest hinderances all afternoon. While the Buccaneers led the league in Week 1 with a conversion rate of 69.2%, the Commanders' 25% conversion rate was 26th.

The struggles on third down for both sides of the ball were an amalgamation of all their other problems. Miscommunication led to a flag for too many players on the field, turning a third-and-11 into a third-and-6. The slow start on offense began on the first play with Daniels' pass going backwards for a 15-yard loss. McMillan's touchdown happened because the secondary was not on the same page.

The Commanders overturned more than half their roster last offseason, so they'll need some time for the players to get comfortable working together. Quinn called Week 1 "the first lap" in that effort and expects the chemistry to improve throughout the season.

The Vikings did not fare well on third down against the Giants, but they were able to put drives together well enough to keep the lead for the entire afternoon. Washington will need to do the same by protecting Daniels and getting the whole offense involved early. Doing so should put more external pressure on Jones, who has thrown an interception in five of his last seven games.