Giants (0-2) vs Redskins (1-1) Last
Sunday the Redskins had a 17-0 lead over the the St. Louis Rams at halftime. They
let that slip to seven points in the third quarter, but then kept the Rams scoreless
while adding 7 more for a 24-10 win. The
Giants were up 20-10 in the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Falcons. Then they
did about what they did the week before. They blew an opportunity for a touchdown
and then gave up 14 points for a 24-20 loss.
Giants - Falcons
Wrap-Up
Washington
Redskins You can't talk about the Redskins
team without mentioning the quarterback position. They've had 16 starting quarterbacks
in the past 16 years. The issue seemed to be settled not too long ago when they
selected Robert Griffin III in the 2012 draft. Griffin went on to set rookie records
for his passer rating and rushing yards, and he led the Redskins to an NFC East
title. It was their first division title in nine years and the quarterback issue
seemed to be settled then, but it continues. Kirk Cousins was selected in
the same year as Griffin in the fourth round. Just before this regular season
started, Cousins was named by Jay Gruden to be the (current) starting quarterback.
Gruden is the (current) head coach of the Redskins, and it's worth mentioning
because in the past 16 years, the Redskins have had 8 head coaches, including
a repeat performance by Joe Gibbs. Cousins didn't endear himself to the fans
in their season home opener, a 17-10 loss to Miami, a game where he threw two
interceptions. However, he did much better last week with his passing game against
the Rams. Cousins led his team to a win over the Rams, the same team that shut
them out at home 24-0 just five regular season games earlier. The Redskins are
in second place in the NFC East, and have the distinction of being the only one
of them that has beaten a team outside their own division. Washington
Redskins Offense
As we stated, Kirk Cousins looks to be on track. Last week he had one touchdown
and completed an impressive 23 passes out of 27 for 203 yards. He did that without
DeSean Jackson who suffered a hamstring injury early in the season opener, and
if Jackson had been available to Cousins for that full game the outcome might
have been different. Jay Gruden is confident that Cousins has the arm strength
and smarts to be their starter. Overall Cousins has been turnover prone, and has
given up 21 interceptions to 20 touchdowns, but he has only played intermittently
over the past three years. They are trying to provide Cousins with a physical
offensive line and a strong running game. Cousins has been sacked only three
times so far, and last week Alfred Morris and rookie Matt Jones ran for 182 yards
and 2 touchdowns. They built on their own performance from the week earlier where
they combined for 149 yards. In each of the two games the offense has controlled
the ball for over 37 minutes (37:54, 37:44), and that takes quite a bit of pressure
off their defense. Pierre Garcon has caught
6 of 8 and 6 of 7 in the last two games, but his total yardage dropped from 74
in game one to just 23 yards last week or 3.8 yards a catch, though he did have
one touchdown. With Jackson out for a few games, Garcon will continue to draw
close coverage. Tight end Jordan Reed has been in there for Cousins, with 13 receptions
for 145 yards and one score. Washington
Redskins Defense They
gave up only 10 points in Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins. Unfortunately that,
combined with a punt returned 69 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter,
stuck them a 17-10 loss. Last Sunday they limited the Rams to 10 points and this
time came away with a win. Using minimal rushers, the defense has been able to
get good pressure on opposing quarterbacks to disrupt their third-down plays.
The Dolphins were 5-for-12 on third-down conversions and the Rams just 2-for-12,
with the Redskins mostly rushing just four defenders. The Redskins rank second
in the NFL, allowing just 164 passing yards per game, and last Sunday they held
the Rams to just 67 yards on the ground. They have only three sacks in the first
two games, but do get to the quarterback more than enough to cause problems. That's
a plus when they drop seven or eight defenders in coverage. Linebacker Perry Riley
is listed as questionable, and cornerback Justin Rogers will miss another game.
Giants offense Eli
Manning has made mistakes over the past two games, and that first game was on
him. The thought that his running back shouldn't score to help put them up by
10 points with game time winding down was incomprehensible. Then last week in
the third quarter when near the end zone, defenders got around the offensive line,
and Manning lost a fumble when he was sacked. It killed the drive and the chance
to add to their 10 point lead. Left tackle Ereck Flowers suffered an ankle injury
and left the field earlier to that. The Giants had to shift the offensive line
and substitute for him and that could have been one of the reasons the play fell
apart. Flowers may not be back for this game, but Daniel Fells, thought to
be the best blocking tight end on the team, will play. Fells was out last week
and the running game suffered. The running backs, Andre Williams, Shane Vereen
and Rashad Jennings, totaled 74 yards on 21 carries, and that was only because
Williams burst free one time for 35 yards, or nearly half of that total. All in
all, 14 of their runs were for 2 yards or less, or worse, negative yardage. That
didn't take much pressure off Manning's passing game and he actually took off
twice for 5 and 18 yards. Preston Parker won't drop any balls this week unless
he's doing it for another team. Tom Coughlin had enough and he was cut. Dwayne
Harris has gotten more playing time from game to game, so expect him to be the
replacement. Rookie Geremy Davis would be up next, and keep an eye out for running
back Vereen being used as the slot receiver. You would think that Rueben Randle
was the most covered receiver on the field instead of Odell Beckham Jr. Randle
caught 1-of-2 targeted passes for five yards last week, and Manning doesn't seem
anxious to throw or even look his way. Could Randle be harboring a hidden injury?
He looks to be turning into Hakeem Nicks before our very eyes. Giants
defense The defense has to share the blame
for the two losses the Giants have sustained. In the first game they were opportunistic
and caused turnovers, but then disappeared totally on the Cowboys last drive which
had to go all the way to the end zone for them to win. Last week they gave up
two fourth quarter touchdowns, and once again the last one was with less than
two minutes remaining, and the Falcons needed a touchdown to go up on the Giants
to put the game away. This week they'd better be ready for the running combination
of Alfred Morris and Matt Jones. The two teams they've faced so far were pass
happy with their plays, with more than twice as many compared to runs. That helped
make the Giants stats look good in that area, as they have allowed an average
of just 68 yards per game on the ground. The flip side is that Tony Romo and Matt
Ryan threw for 356 and 363 yards against them. Kirk Cousins doesn't have their
level of experience and the Giants might be lucky catching him early. The Redskins
want to dominate with the run to make things easier for their new starting quarterback,
and that would be the Giants biggest battle. Linebacker Jon Beason is listed as
probable, and his return could help here. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie left early
in Sunday's game suffering a burner and returned later only to suffer a concussion.
He's out for this game. Overall Once
again the Giants had opportunities lost, and if they didn't self destruct, they'd
be leading the division with a 2-0 record. Instead the Giants are 0-2 coming up
against a Redskins team that seems to be putting it all together. The Redskins
are one of the top rushing, and time of possession teams in the league, and their
defense is coming on strong. Since 1990 (the current playoff system) 300 NFL
teams have started a season 0-3 and only three of them made the playoffs. The
Giants don't need to be an exciting 0-3 statistic for the record books. They need
to be an effective offense that puts points on the board, and field a defense
that can make that stick, and it better all start happening Thursday night.
In the NFC East the Cowboys are 2-0, but they've lost their starting quarterback
and top receiver. The Eagles, like the Giants, are 0-2 and are playing subpar.
The Redskins are 1-1 and on the move, but the Giants would share their record
with just one win. Opportunity knocks and the Giants better answer. NFC
East The Giants and Redskins play on Thursday
night. On Sunday the Cowboys (2-0) host the Falcons (2-0) at 1:00pm. At the same
time, the Eagles (0-2) play in their game against the Jets (2-0). The Giants are
the only NFC East team favored to win in these games.
Check out.
The Team
Giants Store, and see some of the really unique items we put together.
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out our site. Giants DVDs
and Posters.
TeamGiants on Twitter. Notes. Giants
former defensive coordinator Perry Fewell is the defensive backs coach for Washington. Giants
Eli Manning is 1-for-8 on throws that travel 20 or more yards downfield. Giants
Victor Cruz will miss his 14th consecutive game. Giants
Rueben Randle, who caught 71 passes for 938 yards last season, has caught 4 for
28 yards now. Giants are 4-0 against
the Redskins in the last four games played. Redskins
have lost 12 of their last 14 NFC East games. Redskins
lead the NFL in rushing with 343 yards and are fifth at 4.64 yards per carry.. Redskins
are the first team since the 2006 Chargers to have two running backs each gain
at least 100 yards on the ground in a season's first two games.
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