It wasn’t that long ago that a Giants vs. Redskins game would be one of the marquee matchups of the NFL season. Now it is anything but ‘must see TV’ as these two 3-11 teams are well off even the miserable pace in the NFC East. Even though a pair of 7-7 teams are battling for divisional ‘supremacy’ there’s no real indication that either Washington or New York has much to play for here.
For the Giants, the Eli Manning nostalgia trip has reached a conclusion and rookie Daniel Jones out of Duke will be back under center. The quarterback matchup might be the most interesting component of this game as Washington will start their own rookie prospect, Ohio State product Dwayne Haskins. The jury is still out on Haskins though he has shown some promise and physically/athletically has all of the tools you want from a NFL quarterback.
To some extent, it’s almost unfair to evaluate Haskins since he’s being left to fend for himself behind the Redskins’ wretched offensive line. Haskins has already been sacked 27 times in 8 games. On a per game average basis, he’s sacked more often (3.37 times per game) than the NFL sacks co-leaders Jameis Winston (46 sacks in 15 games or 3.06 per game) and Kyler Murray (46 sacks in 14 games or 3.28 per game). Not that Daniel Jones is in much better shape–he’s been sacked 33 times in 11 games for a 3 per game average.
The NFL betting marketplace has come in on the Giants in this matchup. Washington opened a -2 point home favorite but the line has moved to ‘PK’ with quite a few sportsbooks at NYG -1. Washington has been wretched in most situations this year but are 0-2 ATS as a favorite, 2-5 ATS at home, and 2-4 ATS against opponents with losing records. The Redskins have been fodder for the rest of the NFC East for several years now–over the past three years they’re 3-13 SU/4-12 ATS against divisional rivals.
New York has been a strong play on the road during the last three years despite their 5-18 SU record away from MetLife Stadium. They’re 15-8 ATS on the road including 4-3 this year. They’ve been excellent as a road underdog entering on a 10-3 ATS run in that role. They’ve been reasonably competitive against divisional foes despite a 3-13 SU record going 7-9 ATS which isn’t bad considering that Dallas and Philadelphia have been vastly superior for that entire time. They’re just 2-5 against opponents with losing records this year but 5-2 ATS which is a sign of a decent effort in most weeks. They’ve also got one of the best grass field records in the NFL–they’re just 5-9 SU over the L3 years but a spiffy 12-2 ATS.
Dwayne Haskins has been left to ‘learn on the job’ behind a miserable OL and without much talent around him. Daniel Jones has shown flashes of excellence and is more of a ‘finished product’ at this juncture. He’s also got Saquon Barkley on his team–he might be the best player on either team and could have a big day against Washington’s #28 ranked defense. Redskins future is cloudy with a new coaching regime taking over while the Giants are at least playing for pride and insisting they’re not going to ‘tank’. New York has covered 3 of their last 4 and against this dubious class a decent effort will get them a victory.
