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By Michael Stewart/@golferbad

Introduction: The Giants stunning win over the Chicago Bears in overtime 30-27 was a complete shocker as the Giants showed the league and the fans what this team is capable of.  It’s all about pride at this point for the Giants as they travel to Washington to play the Redskins.  Monday nights lost to the Eagles 28-13, the Redskins have now lost three in a row since the injuring to quarterback Alex Smith and at now 6-6. Offensively; the Redskins are struggling averaging 19.4 points per game (ranked 27th) with 323.4 total yards per game (ranked 27th). Colt McCoy has struggled with a quarterback rating of 78.6 and with him joining the injury list (broken fibula), Mark Sanchez will start against the Giants. On defense, the Redskins are holding it together by surrendering 21.4 points per game (ranked 8th) and a total of 367.4 total yards per contest (ranked 19th). Linebackers Mason Foster and Zach Brown are leading the way for the Redskins and expect that to continue. The Giants offense has been clicking over the past four games averaging 29.2 points per game and 22.2 overall (ranked 19th) and 350.2 total yards per game (ranked 21st) for the season. Odell Beckham and Saquon Barkley have been leading the way for the Giants over that span. Defensively; the Giants have given up 26.2 points per game (ranked 25th) and 377.7 total yards per game (ranked 23rd), but have made the big plays at the right time. The strong play of Landon Collins and Alec Olgetree continues to be the backbone on defense.

Top 3 Matchups:

  1. 1. Redskins defensive line-vs-Giants offensive line: The once laughable Giants offensive line over the first 8 games was justified as they were horrible. However; since their bye week the Giants offensive line actually looks more cohesive and are creating time in the passing game and holes in the running lanes. The Redskins have been tough to run against (100.3) and are averaging roughly three sacks per game (32). Keeping Eli Manning off the ground and giving Barkley some running space would give the Giants a big advantage.
  2. Big Plays: This matchup should be a big advantage for the Giants, at least on paper with Saquon Barkley and Odell Beckham. The Redskins are not a big play team; especially with Mark Sanchez under center and poor performance in relief against the Eagles. The Giants must capitalize on this matchup and get the ball into the hands of their best two offensive weapons.
  3. Red Zone: Overall the Redskins have a 56.25% in the red zone this season and a 66.67% in their last game. However; with Mark Sanchez under center, the Redskins conversion should suffer dramatically. The Giants have a dismal 47.37% for the year and a 50% rating in their last game. The Giants have been improving slightly in this department over the last three games (66.67%) and that certainly needs to continue in this game if they want to secure a win.

Summary: The Giants have the momentum coming into this game and they need to keep their foot on the throttle.  I think the Redskins will have a tough time moving the ball with Mark Sanchez starting.   I also believe that the Giants have finally turned the corner offensively and performing the way they were projected to on the field. I expect their success to continue in terms of moving the ball and creating scoring chances. I expect the Giants to have at least two to three big plays in this game; either offense or defense. On the other hand, the Redskins are going in the other direction and I can’t see them turning it around, so look for the Giants to load the box defensively to stop Peterson and force the Redskins passing game to beat them. In the end, the Giants make the plays and the Redskins do not and fall to 6-7 and the Giants go to 5-8.

Final Score: Giants 24/Redskins 13