Balanced offense and improved defense got the Washington Commanders to 7-2

Jayden Daniels threw the ball just three times in the second quarter during the Washington Commanders' victory at the New York Giants that got them to 7-2 this season.

The rookie quarterback was unbothered.

“Sometimes that’s how it’s got to be,” Daniels said. “We adjust.”

It's working out swimmingly so far, with Washington off to its best record through nine games since 1996 thanks not only to Daniels, but a balanced offense and a defense that has improved drastically over the past two months. The Commanders are one of just five NFL teams with more runs than passes, they lead the league with 15 rushing touchdowns and rank second with 1,475 yards.

“Defending us is really all 11 (players), as the quarterback has a factor in this too on plays that could be designed option plays,” coach Dan Quinn said Monday. “You have to be able to defend the quarterback runs.”

Daniels, even playing the past two weeks with sore ribs, has been a big part of that. His 459 yards rushing trail only Baltimore's Lamar Jackson among QBs.

But take the heavy AP Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite out of the equation and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury's commitment to the run is steadfast. The Commanders have handed the ball to a running back 196 times through nine games.

They racked up 149 yards on the ground Sunday to beat the Giants, even after starting running back Brian Robinson Jr. was a late scratch because of a hamstring injury.

"That’s just the next man up mentality," Daniels said of Austin Ekeler, Jeremy McNichols and Chris Rodriguez Jr. carrying the lead in Robinson's absence. "It doesn’t matter when. Our coaching staff does a tremendous job of bringing confidence into the players, no matter if you’re the starter or the practice squad guy. You never know when your number might get called."

Same goes on defense, even after standout defensive tackle Jonathan Allen was lost for the season with a torn pectoral muscle. Rookie Johnny Newton has helped fill the void, and the Commanders getting strong play from linebacker Bobby Wagner and safety Jeremy Chinn, in particular.

They now have the 14th-ranked defense after being 29th out of 32 teams three weeks into the season.

“Defensively, we can still be better,” Wagner said. “If we fix those mistakes that we make, we’ll make a really good team.”

Washington is consistently winning in turnover margin with just three giveaways and eight takeaways. Dante Fowler forced Daniel Jones' fumble Sunday, Wagner recovered it and the team has not turned the ball over in four consecutive games.

Defending against the run remains an issue. The Commanders allowed the Giants to rush for 164 yards and are near the bottom of the league in that category, giving up 143 a game.

Quinn in particular has been troubled by the big gains his team is getting gashed for, such as DeAndre Swift's 64-yard touchdown last week when it took a Hail Mary to avoid blowing a late lead and losing to Chicago. Jones had seven carries for 54 yards Sunday, and with more mobile quarterbacks on the schedule, it's an area that could use some attention.

Chinn led the team with 12 tackles at New York in what Quinn called the 26-year-old's best game of the season, which also showcased some improvement in coverage.

“He’s worked really hard on the man-to-man side of things,” Quinn said. “Whether that’s pre-practice with (defensive backs coach) Tommy Donatell or post practice, you see the work that he puts into that spot.”

Second-year cornerback Emmanuel Forbes did not play a single snap Sunday, despite being active and in uniform. Quinn said that was not by design and “just kind of how the game played out,” but the 2023 first-round pick has not made the strides forward the organization had hoped for.

Robinson's hamstring bears watching, even if the decision to sit him — such as against the Ravens last month — was made out of an abundance of caution. He's the workhorse back that makes the offense one of the NFL's best, and his presence allows Ekeler to be used in change-of-pace situations.

7 — Losses in a row by teams that won their previous game with a go-ahead touchdown at the end of regulation, a streak the Commanders ended by beating the Giants.

Brace for a brutal scheduling situation with games at home against 6-2 Pittsburgh and at 6-2 Philadelphia over a five-day span. Washington opened as a 2 1/2-point favorite on BetMGM Sportsbook against the Steelers, who are rested coming off their bye week.

AP Sports Writer Tom Canavan in East Rutherford, New Jersey, contributed.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler (30) avoids a tackle by New York Giants safety Tyler Nubin (31) during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Giants tight end Theo Johnson (84) pushes through the Washington Commanders defense on his way to a touchdown during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/John Munson)

Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler (30) carries the ball against New York Giants cornerback Adoree' Jackson (21) during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Washington Commanders running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. (23) celebrates with tight end John Bates (87) after gaining a first down against the New York Giants during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

An upgraded car and a “painful” reminder not to lose sight of the Formula 1 fundamentals could be George Russell's path back to the front of the field at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Russell's fourth place at the last race in Miami gave his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli a yawning 20-point lead in the standings after four races. The 19-year-old Italian has won three in a row.

Russell said one reason he lost ground was focusing too much on the standout feature of the 2026 cars, their massive electrical power output, and neglecting the basics.

“Dealing with the tires, dealing with the setup, just fundamentals of racing, has kind of been put on the back-burner because we’re all so focused on energy management,” he said.

“We missed some key things because we were focused elsewhere and that was a good little reminder. As painful as it was, it was a very much-needed weekend because I think it’s going to prove very beneficial.”

Antonelli's lead grew in Miami because McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull brought upgrades that helped them fight for the podium places. Now it's Mercedes' turn to bring upgraded parts for the car that's won all four Grand Prix races in 2026 so far.

Canada offers the chance of a big points swing. It's hosting a sprint race Saturday for the first time, putting another maximum eight points on offer.

The threat of rain in Montreal on Sunday would shake things up, too. After storms predicted for Miami never materialized, the 2026 cars have yet to race in wet weather.

It's early to talk of the title at just the fifth round of the season but a fourth win in a row would put the 19-year-old Antonelli into an exclusive club. Every driver who's won four or more consecutive Grands Prix has been an F1 champion at some point in their career.

History does offer a little encouragement to Russell, though. The one time in F1 history that a driver won four consecutive races in a season but not the title came in 2016 when Lewis Hamilton was beaten by his then-Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg.

More recently, Oscar Piastri won three in a row for McLaren last year and still lost to teammate Lando Norris.

It's a busy time to be an F1 engine manufacturer.

The extra engine power agreed for 2027, with electrical power turned down and less need to recharge batteries, got a cautious welcome Thursday from Max Verstappen, the biggest critic of the 2026 cars, who said it was “almost back to normal.”

Meanwhile, the FIA is pushing to return to old-school V8s from 2030, and there's more immediate change coming after this weekend.

Under a new-for-2026 rule, after the Canadian Grand Prix, the FIA will confirm some manufacturers will get extra development time and budget to improve their engines, but only if they're a certain margin behind the best-performing engine, widely agreed to be Mercedes.

The scheme, known as ADUO, is meant to nudge F1 gently toward engine parity over the next few years and avoid what FIA rules guru Nikolas Tombazis last year dubbed “eternal misery” for teams who picked slower engines.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Race fans walk through pit lane during the open house at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix auto race, Thursday, May 21, 2026, in Montreal. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Ferrari team members work on their cars at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix auto race, Thursday, May 21, 2026, in Montreal. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain speaks speak during the drivers' press conference at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix auto race in Montreal, Thursday, May 21, 2026. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)

Mercedes drivers George Russell of Britain, left, and Kimi Antonelli of Italy speak during an interview in the paddocks at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix auto race in Montreal, Thursday, May 21, 2026. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)