Thursday Night Football Preview: New York Giants at Washington Redskins

For the first time in 2014, the New York Giants will play their divisional rivals, the Washington Redskins. The Redskins will host the Giants on Thursday night in a primetime matchup. This rivalry has had unforgettable moments like Lawrence Taylor breaking Joe Theismann’s leg, the highest scoring game in NFL history and Tiki Barber’s final regular season game.

The Last Time These Teams Met:

Last year the Giants swept Washington. New York won the first meeting in Maryland 24-17, and they won the second game in New Jersey 20-6.

Both teams are in last place in the NFC East, but it seems like both teams’ respective offense has started to click.

Going into this season, it was expected that former Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III would be healthy and ready to return to his healthy self. However, after a subpar season opener, RGIII was injured against the Jacksonville Jaguars and has not played since. Kirk Cousins came in for the former second overall pick, and thus far Cousins has delivered and exceeded expectations.

According to NFL.com, Cousins has 677 yards, five touchdowns, one interception and a quarterback rating of 105.8. There has even been speculation that Redskins’ head coach Jay Gruden actually prefers the former Michigan State Spartan over the fleet footed former Baylor Bear, as Cousins seems to be a better fit in Gruden’s offense.

“I feel like we can win any game with Kirk Cousins,” Gruden said to NFL.com. “Kirk is a special guy. He started four games last year and didn’t have great success, but obviously has a skill set that I feel like is very much suited for what we do. He can handle it mentally, and obviously, physically. I feel that he can make every throw in the book and we are going to move forward with Kirk.”

NFL.com reported that Jay Gruden has not ruled out keeping Cousins as the starter, even when Griffin is healthy. 

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Cousins, a better drop back passer than Griffin has done a superb job leading this team in RGIII’s absence. He is an intelligent player that can manage games, and he seems to have a great relationship with the organization. The Redskins seem completely comfortable moving forward with Cousins, and it’s easy to see why. Surrounding Cousins is a cast of talented players that can help Cousins look good.

DeSean Jackson came over from Philadelphia, and D-Jax has proven his worth so far, as he was a main reason the Redskins were able to compete with the Eagles. Jackson overcame a shoulder injury to torch the Eagles for 117 yards and a touchdown. Next to Jackson is last year’s receptions leader, Pierre Garcon. Garcon is one of the most underrated receivers in the NFL, but he’s as consistent as they come. The Mount Union product has some of the best hands in the entire league, and if a ball is thrown in his area, he will almost always come down with it. Garcon is also coming off of a great outing, as he had 11 catches for 138 yards and a touchdown last Sunday. Jackson and Garcon will be facing a secondary that appears to be hitting its stride.

That secondary is led by cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Antrel Rolle, both of whom had interceptions last week. DRC will be shadowing Jackson for the majority of the game, and he held the speedy Jackson to last year. The two former Eagles know each other well, and it was Rodgers-Cromartie who got the upper hand last year. According to NJ.com, last year DRC held Jackson to two catches and 32 yards, his lowest total of the season. Garcon has the advantage against Prince Amukamara, as Garcon is an excellent route runner and is very good at creating separation. Jackson is listed as questionable with a shoulder injury, per NFL.com.

Something else to keep an eye on in the Giants’ secondary is who will be starting at safety next to Antrel Rolle. Last week Stevie Brown was benched in favor of rookie Nat Berhe. If Berhe is starting and Jackson is playing, DeSean will likely see some opportunities down the field, as Kirk Cousins isn’t afraid to let his guys go get the ball.

The offensive line for the ‘Skins has to deal with a healthy Jason Pierre-Paul, who’s been phenomenal thus far. While JPP only has 1.5 sacks, he has been putting constant pressure on quarterbacks, and he has three pass deflections, two more than Cardinals’ cornerback Patrick Peterson. Pierre-Paul isn’t the only dangerous pass rusher, as Cullen Jenkins, Johnathan Hankins, Damontre Moore, Robert Ayers Jr. and Mathias Kiwanuka all are talented in their own right. The Giants seem to have enough players to constantly rotate fresh guys in, which has been a staple of New York Giants football in recent memory.

The Giants’ defensive line is likely happy RGIII is not in the lineup, as they’ve struggled against quarterbacks that can make plays outside of the pocket. In week 1 the two biggest plays of the game came when Matthew Stafford left the pocket. In week 3, the Giants gave up 34 yards rushing to Ryan Fitzpatrick. Both Stafford and Fitzpatrick scored a rushing touchdown. Inside linebacker Jon Beason is getting healthier, and the NYPost.com reported he’s likely to return against Washington. If he ends up unable to play, the Giants will move Jameel McClain inside, and use Spencer Paysinger, Mark Herzlich and Jacquian Williams outside.

JPP might have a rough evening, though, as he’s lining up against Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams. Running behind Williams and the rest of the offensive line is all-purpose back Alfred Morris. Since breaking onto the scene in 2012, Morris has been one of the most consistent backs in the NFL. Since his rookie year, Morris has 3,141 yards and 22 touchdowns, and that’s only including three games from this year.

Unfortunately for the Washington defense, they will be without Pro Bowl cornerback DeAngelo Hall. Hall speculated he had torn his achilles tendon, and it was later confirmed by the Washington Post. The two starting cornerbacks for Washington are David Amerson and Bashaud Breeland. Veterans E.J. Biggers and Tracy Porter are listed as backups, per Redskins.com. According to NFL.com, Tracy Porter is the only player to have a pick-six against Peyton and Eli Manning. The Redskins will be tasked with stopping an offense that seems to be hitting its stride after two weeks of mediocrity.

Against the Houston Texans, a team that beat the Redskins, the Giants looked nearly perfect on offense. The whole unit clicked, and fans were finally treated to a fully functional West Coast Offense.

Last week the ‘Skins proved they can play with the big boys of the league, while the Giants proved they were marginally better than a subpar team

After dropping passes like bad habits for the first two weeks, Victor Cruz had over 100 yards receiving, and his first touchdown since week 4 of last year. Rashad Jennings rushed for 167 yards and a touchdown, and Eli Manning completed an impressive 75% of his passes. The revival of Cruz is great for the offense, as the Giants will be playing against a beat up secondary, but Cruz remains the only true playmaker on offense.

Rueben Randle has been disappointing, as he can never seem to take the next step into becoming an elite NFL wide receiver. Manning and Randle seem to have a devoid of chemistry unless Manning is throwing the fade to Randle.

Despite Jennings’ career day against Houston, it’s very hard to fathom him seeing another 34 carry workload against the ‘Skins. Washington is currently ranked 3rd against the run, as they’re only giving up 64.7 yards a game, according to NFL.com. Jennings will likely struggle against a tough Redskins defense.

Newyorkpost.com reported rookie wide receiver Odell Beckham will miss another game with a hamstring injury, despite feeling good. The Giants are doing everything they can to get their first round pick on the field, but they salvaged last week with journeyman Preston Parker in the slot. Larry Donnell has been an incredibly pleasant surprise for the Giants, as the un drafted tight end has had at least 45 yards in every game so far, per NFL.com.

Although the offensive line was somewhat of a concern for New York, they proved their worth last week, when they held All Pro defensive end J.J. Watt to one sack, and made him a non factor. Second year right tackle Justin Pugh shared his thoughts on Watt and Houston’s defense. Pugh told CBSSports.com that Watt “tapped out” in the second half. “We showed the resiliency of our offensive line,” Pugh added. “I remember after week 1, people were asking if we were the worst offensive line in football.”

While the Giants don’t boast the league’s best group, they’ve proven they can keep their quarterback clean. It’s a good thing too, because the Giants’ offensive line is playing against Ryan Kerrigan, Brian Orakpo and Jason Hatcher. Kerrigan currently leads the NFL in sacks with four, and Hatcher has had four sacks in his last four games against the Giants. Orakpo is a freakish athlete, and he’s one of the hardest pass rushers to block. Orakpo is expected to play Thursday despite a torn ligament in his finger. Even if the Redskins’ secondary is somewhat depleted, a strong pass rush will help remedy that. The group of talented pass rushers will be trouble for the Giants’ offensive line all game, regardless of how well they played against the Houston Texans. Both Kerrigan and Orakpo are versatile pass rushers, and while Pugh will likely be alright, left tackle Will Beatty is a candidate to struggle. This game will likely come down to quarterback play.

So far, Cousins has shown more than Manning, and he’s been far more safe with the ball. Washington also boasts more playmakers on offense, with DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon and Andre Roberts. Last week the ‘Skins proved they can play with the big boys of the league, while the Giants proved they were marginally better than a subpar team. The Redskins also proved they’re willing to get nasty, as was showcased when Jason Hatcher took a cheap shot on Eagles quarterback Nick Foles. That hit let the rest of the NFC East know that the Redskins are going to compete and do whatever it takes to win. I don’t think either team will dominate, as it will likely be a fun, close game to watch.

Players to Watch: DeSean Jackson: Although DRC held Jackson in check last year, D-Jax has been a Giant killer in his career. Jackson’s career stats against New York are 912 yards receiving, four receiving touchdowns and two punt returns for touchdowns, one being the infamous “Miracle at New Meadowlands.”

Victor Cruz: While Jackson is a Giant killer, Cruz is not too shabby against Washington. In the four games Cruz has started against Washington he has 359 yards and a game winning touchdown. It will be interesting to see if Cruz can continue his hot streak.

Kirk Cousins: As previously mentioned, Cousins has been playing very, very good football. The Giants have a better defense and a better secondary than both Jacksonville and Philadelphia, so Cousins’ performance against Big Blue will be a good measurement of his true skills.

Prince Amukamara: While DRC while be covering DeSean Jackson, Amukamara will be guarding Pierre Garcon. Garcon is no slouch, and he’s a dangerous receiver. This will be Amukamara’s best test of the season so far, and he’ll have his hands full.

Final Prediction:  Divisional games can usually go either way, but I think the Giants will win 27-23. The Kirk Cousins and the Redskins are good, but I also think Washington’s secondary will prove to be their achilles heel. If last week is indicative of how the Giants can truly play, they should be able to get another win before hosting the Atlanta Falcons next week. Regardless of the outcome, whoever wins this game will be in the race for the unpredictable NFC East.

Bold Predictions:

* Eli Manning has another good game against a weakened defensive backfield. Manning will throw for 315 yards and two touchdowns.

* Rashad Jennings will come back to earth after a career outing against Houston. Jennings will rush for 80 yards.

* Kirk Cousins throws for 268 yards and two touchdowns.

* The Redskins sack Eli three times.