The Eagles are on top.
The Eagles have scored over a hundred points more than every other team in the division, and have given up almost a hundred less than last place Washington. Despite this disparity of numbers, they scored only 10 points last game, winning it by using their defense which not only allowed just 3 points, but also scored the touchdown for the Eagles.
The Giants, on the other hand, scored 29 points, their highest output in two seasons, while losing their game to the Tennessee Titans.Defensive breakdowns in the fourth quarter allowed the game to be tied up, and then lost in overtime 32-29.
If the Eagles, forced into using their third string quarterback, A.J. Feeley, because of injuries to Donovan McNabb and Koy Detmer, are really out of gas on the offense, then who knows what could happen if the Giants do their part. We're being real fans now, but what the heck, you have to expect at least a small dose of fan-spin here. This week Feeley goes up against a tough Seattle defense that has allowed only 13 touchdown passes while claiming 12 interceptions.

Maybe too much spin?
OK, what we left out was that the Seattle defense is ranked 29th overall, has the worst run defense in the league, has only won 4 games, and hasn't beaten a team with a winning record. So, on the wildcard front, if the Giants win and the Saints lose, then the Giants would be just one game back in that race.

Giants at Washington.
The Giants are a game ahead of the Redskins, and trail New Orleans by two games for the final wild card spot. The Giants came close to winning last week, but have added still more to their injury list. Their only luck is that they are facing Washington next. That's not so much a knock on the Redskins, but there are much worse matchups for the Giants right now than a Redskins team that has already talked about experimenting with it's younger players for the remaining four games.

Giants on offense.
Kerry Collins has been very effective all year, and the offensive line looked good last week with the return of center Chris Bober. It will help that Washington is without tackle Dan Wilkinson. The Giants used Jeremy Shockey effectively three weeks ago against the Redskins where he had 11 catches for 111 yards. They'll be paying more attention to Shockey this week, and you always have to put good coverage on Amani Toomer. Ron Dixon with a swollen right knee, or Delvin Joyce, will be teaming up with Toomer, going against Washington cornerbacks Champ Bailey and Fred Smoot.
Tiki Barber had trouble running against the Titans last week and both he and Ron Dayne averaged less than 3 yards a carry in their last outing against Washington. The Redskins will be without linebacker Jeremiah Trotter who suffered a season ending injury ( torn ACL), but he's being replaced by a capable Kevin Mitchell. Also, linebackers Jessie Armstead, and LaVar Arrington, and defensive end Renaldo Wynn are playing with minor injuries.

Giants on defense.
The Giants were already struggling with all the injuries sustained by the defense, and now linebackers Micheal Barrow and Dhani Jones, and both starting corners Will Allen and Will Peterson, will miss this game. Last week, Jason Sehorn and Ralph Brown didn't look too sharp against the Titans, but they're not going up against Steve McNair this week. Instead they'll face Danny Wuerffel and luckily the Redskins are ranked 25th in total offense. Defensive tackle, Cornelius Griffin, should be back for this game and that's a good break for the Giants who will be fielding two other first-time starters, linebacker Kevin Lewis, and linebacker Nick Greisen to go along with cornerback Ralph Brown, also starting for the first time.
About last week's game, first-year defensive coordinator Johnnie Lynn said. "It was our poorest performance of the year. With the game on the line, we had a chance to make a difference and we fall on our face. We need to stand strong, we need to make a point, we need to take over a game and make plays, and we didn't do that." Let's see if the coach can rally the guys for this game.

Notes:
In Jim Fassel's 92 regular-season games since taking over the Giants, his teams have scored 1,717 points. Opponents have scored 1,716.
Michael Strahan could break another record if he scores a sack or a half-sack,which would give him at least a half-sack in 11 straight games.
If Washington loses, it will take them out of the playoff picture.

Next Game
Dec 15, Dallas at Giants 4:15 PM.

Last Week's review, game 12 - Titans 32 - Giants 29

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