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Giants - Redskins
Game 3 preview
Thursday Sept 24, 8:25 PM - Redskins at Giants

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.
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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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