The Giants lead the division, but their last two losses came on the last play of the game where they allowed the Saints and Patriots to drive down the field in the waning moments of the fourth quarter. The Giants may be losing that moxie that saved them so many times in close situations, and Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning are not getting any younger. But the Redskins have at least some confidence in their quarterback for this season and possibly for the future. If you believe the reports that came out this week, The Redskins have enough confidence in Gruden that he will return next year. All of this makes this game on Sunday more than just a battle for first place this year. It could give the Redskins organization the shot of confidence they need to fill the looming vacuum that is being created by the hubris, incompetence, and aging of the other teams in the NFC East. If the Redskins would like to change their fortunes this weekend here is what they need to do.
If you can't get up for a game like this.......: All poetic gravitas aside, the Redskins are playing for a tie for first place in the NFC East. That should be enough motivation for the Redskins to come out firing on all cylinders, but if they need more motivation they should look at the records of the remaining opponents for all the NFC East teams:
Giants remaining opponents: 34-27
Eagles remaining opponents: 32-18
Cowboys remaining opponents: 21-20 (play redskins twice)
Redskins remaining opponents: 22-31 (play cowboys twice)
The Redskins have the easiest schedule on paper for the remainder of the season, but remember that the Redskins also have three more road games to play. A win would put them in the drivers seat, but a loss would almost force them to win out in order to try and make the playoffs.
Leave the Run; Take the Pass: It would behoove the Redskins to focus on beating the Giants defense with the pass first. The Giants have given up the most total completions, total passing yards, and yards per game so far this season. They are also tied with the Falcons for fewest number of sacks this season with 12. This plays into the Redskins passing style that relies on high completion percentage (Cousins is third in the league) and not taking sacks because of getting the ball out quickly. Look for a lot of Jordan Reed to exploit the middle of the field, and quick hitters to Desean Jackson and Pierre Garcon to alleviate pressure. Also, look for Crowder to get some looks with wide receiver screens to make the Giants spread out. If the Redskins can get the passing game going it may open up the running lanes enough to have some success. This is all predicated on the Redskins doing one thing.
Clock Control: The Redskins need to control the clock. The Giants' offensive strength is efficiency. The Giants score on 42.7% of their drives which is good for third in the league behind New England and Arizona, and only 0.7% ahead of Carolina who showed what can happen to the Redskins if they allow a team to score on every possession. The Giants are also only turning the ball over on 9.1% of their drives compared to the Redskins who turn the ball over on 17.6% of their drives. What's worse is that the Giants defense forces a turnover on 19.3% of their drives which is second best in the league behind Carolina. What all of this means is that the Giants score a lot, they don't turn the ball over very much, and if you are holding onto the ball too long they are taking it back so they can score again. The Redskins need to be able to keep pace with the Giants by matching their efficiency through clock control and limiting turnovers. Short passes will be the name of the game on Sunday, and taking advantage of favorable running situations in order to keep the ball away from the Giants' offense.
A Test of Character: Finally, forgetting all the stats, this game will be about whether or not this team has really had a character change. The talk this week has been about how good the Redskins have been at home this season and how well they have bounced back from losses, but certain individuals must answer the call to prove these notions are not just talking points for TV analysts. Kirk Cousins needs to prove that he can win a game with legitimate playoff implications when all eyes are on him. The defense needs to prove that it can come up with big stops against a team that terrorized them earlier this season, and who will look to exploit their deficiencies in the run game. Finally, the coaching staff needs to prove that they can come up with a solid game plan in a meaningful game. Just like Cousins, this will be Jay Gruden's first game as a head coach where there are legitimate playoff implications. How this team responds to the opening call, and how they adjust to the flow of the game will show how good of a head coach Jay Gruden really is.
I have a bad feeling about this game. The Giants' offense has been clicking the past three weeks, while the Redskins' defense continues to fall into despair. No Chris Culliver means that Odell Beckham should be going all Keyshawn on Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin. But I will go with the title of this article and say the world is changing. Cousins has a solid, but not flashy, game and the defense is able to come up with one big play that keeps us in the game. It will be close either way, but I'll believe the Redskins can do it.
Redskins win 24-20
Do we want to see the Redskins in the playoffs? Inconsistent offense and just as inconsistent defense. Do we want to see our team name which, is already offensive be thrashed in the first round?
ReplyDeleteAlso, playoffs could cause the Redskins to not solve the real problems we have as a team. They would just say see we made the playoffs.