Well, the New York Giants finally had themselves a fine showing and snapped their seven-game losing streak, crushing the Tennessee Titans 36-7 last Sunday. The win was definitely good for morale after the Giants had a miserable run of horrible losses. So, it was nice to see them get off the schneid.
Now the Washington Redskins come to town and the Giants have to be optimistic they can string together couple of wins in a row. If you need reminding, back in Week 4, they had an easy time trouncing the Redskins in D.C., winning 45-14.
However, the teams look a lot different now, but it is still a fierce divisional game and that should not go unnoticed. Here then are four things to watch.
How is Eli Manning’s back and can he have a similar performance like he had back in Week 4?
First of all, Manning’s back issue seems to be a minor injury and it’s nothing that should keep him from suiting up on Sunday.
That said, he’ll be looking to keep up the positive momentum and try to repeat on the performance he had in D.C. back in September. In that game Manning threw for 300 yards and four touchdowns while also rushing for a touchdown. That day, Larry Donnell was the star of the game, recording three touchdowns.
So look for Manning to try and connect with Donnell again. This time, though, Washington will be cognizant of Donnell. Also, look for Manning to of course keep slinging the ball to, who else, Odell Beckham Jr. Beckham Jr. is finishing off a most-impressive season in terrific fashion and he has a couple of good games left in him
Can Andre Williams build off impressive game last week at Tennessee?
Granted starter Rashad Jennings will be getting a good does of the carries, too, there are many people in Giants’ circles hoping to see Williams build off his impressive performance from last week in Tennessee, where he rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries.
With the Giants out of the playoff picture, they will want to see what they have in the rookie. After a mostly disappointing season, Williams will look to end his first season in style. He also had a fine game the last time the two teams played, rushing for 66 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.
It won’t be easy, as the Redskins do have themselves a solid run defense. Washington ranks 10th in rushing yards (105 YPG) against. Still, expect Williams and Jennings to get a lot of work in this game.
How will the Giants attack Colt McCoy?
The Redskins are now on their third quarterback of the year, after the injuries and inconsistencies of Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins have made them ineffective. So now it’s McCoy’s job.
Although he is also suffering from an injury (neck) he has been cleared to play. McCoy has actually played quite well of late. In his three starts, he has thrown for 890 yards and four touchdowns while throwing three interceptions.
We’ve seen the Giants get beat by the pass this year, and McCoy will be sure to take his shots. If the Giants’ D-Line played like it did last week (when it had an astonishing eight sacks) against the Titans, they should be able to harass McCoy all day. If this becomes an air war, expect Manning and the Giants to have the upper hand.
Can the Giants prevent Alfred Morris from going off?
If the Giants have ideas of winning this game, they simply have to stop the run. Or at least contain it. We saw last week how well the Giants play when they stop a rushing attack, as the Titans, as a team, rushed for a measly 61 yards.
Now, Morris and the Redskins will clearly present a harder challenge than Bishop Sankey and the Titans did last week. Morris is seventh in the NFL in rushing with 899 yards on the year to go with seven touchdowns.
We all know the Giants are susceptible to the run, as they allow 134.5 rushing yards per game, which is 30th in the league. Back in Week 4, though, the Giants held Morris to 63 yards.
The bottom line is, if the Giants limit Morris while forcing McCoy and the Redskins to throw, this is a game the Giants should win.
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