Game Preview, Week 13: Washington at New York Giants
December 2, 2022
by Steve Thomas
A improbable as it seemed a couple of months ago, Washington is legitimately in the playoff race and is hanging in there in the best division in the NFL. This week’s opponent, the New York Giants, is similarly well positioned, making this game and the week 15 repeat matchup represent possibly the most critical games of the season. Sweeping the Giants would mean that Washington would be on track to grab a Wild Card spot absent some sort of collapse, whereas being swept would probably put the team on the outside looking in, again. All of this means that Washington really needs to take this game seriously and be prepared to play their best football of the season. Will good things happen? We’ll see – these Giants games are always tough, particularly in New York. Our game preview begins below.
Game time & location: Sunday, December 4, 2022, 1:00 p.m. ET, Met Life Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ; Gates open 11:00 a.m. ET; parking lots open 8:00 a.m.
Television: FOX
Television announcers: Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma, Shannon Spake
TV broadcast map: click here
DC-area radio: Big 100 (WBIG-FM)
Washington radio network: click here
Giants radio network: click here
Satellite radio: SiriusXM: 231 (Giants broad.)/ 386 (Wash. broad.); internet: 831
Washington roster: click here
Washington depth chart: click here
Giants roster: click here
Giants depth chart: click here
Records: Washington 7 – 5 (away 4 – 2); Giants 7 – 4 (home 4 – 2)
All-time head-to-head record vs Giants: 10 – 104 – 4 (last 10: 4 – 6; streak: 2 – 0)
Last meeting: W, January 9, 2022, 22 – 7
Early odds: Washington, -2.5
3 KEYS TO THE GAME
Live up to the moment
Washington is favored in an important road game? What kind of weird Twilight Zone are we inhabiting, anyway? Seriously, the single most important factor to Washington getting a win in this game, regardless of any strategy or matchup, is for them to continue to live up to the moment. Several recent Giants games have ended up as Giants blowouts, and normally it’s because Washington simply didn’t show up, as a team. I doubt that happens here, but you never know. Washington’s players and coaches need to be on top of their game, because it’s the most important game so far this season.
Run the ball, then run it again, then run some more
This one isn’t rocket science. Washington has been winning recently courtesy of an increasingly effective run game, and the Giants have a terrible run defense. New York’s opponents have averaged a stunning 5.2 yards per carry this season, which is the second-worst in the league. From a game-plan perspective, this is the key to a Washington victory.
Control the Giants ground game
The other end of this coin is that the Giants are a run-heavy defense and happen to have one of the better running backs in the league who is mostly returning to form this season after two brutal years recovering from a knee injury. New York’s passing attack is hampered by both injuries to key receivers and by quarterback Daniel Jones’ limitations, so keeping them from getting rolling on the ground will be important to a Washington win. The Giants are averaging 4.7 yards per carry as a team, so this could possibly be a tall order.
3 KEY MATCHUPS
Tyler Larsen vs. Dexter Lawrence
Lawrence is leading the Giants in sacks this year, with 5, which is a fairly impressive number for an interior defensive lineman. Washington obviously has a vested interest in keeping Taylor Heinicke sack-free, and this week is starts with Lawrence. As an interior lineman, Larsen, Washington’s backup to the backup center, will play a very prominent role in limiting the damage. Keep an eye out on whether Lawrence is able to dominate Washington on passing downs. If that’s the case, much of it will probably fall on Larsen.
Jonathan Allen vs Saquon Barkley
Best on best. Allen, Washington’s defensive leader, versus the undeniable leader of the Giants offense. Allen, on the inside of Washington’s defensive line, is probably the most important component to Washington’s plan to contain Barkley. Allen is having yet another top-quality season, and he’s going to be charged with clogging up the middle and slowing down the Giants’ run game. New York doesn’t really have a great option behind Barkley, so Allen being able to be on top of Barkley will be a key part of a Washington victory.
Do I dare to say this again, for the third week in a row? I guess so, because Young finally being back, if it actually happens, is a pretty darn big deal both for him and the team. Young has quite a bit to prove this year, as he becomes eligible for a contract extension at the end of this season. For his part, Thomas was the Giants’ first round pick of the 2020 draft, and in no small part was brought to New York expressly to face Young. This is probably the highest-profile battle in the game. If it happens.
OFFICIAL INJURY REPORT (active roster only) (starters in bold)
LP – limited practice FP – full practice DNP – did not practice
NIR – not injury related Q – questionable O – out
D – doubtful NL – not listed
| Washington | Giants |
| RB A. Gibson, foot; Wed: LP; Thurs: DNP | OL J. Ezeudu, neck; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP |
| WR D. Milne, foot; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP | DB A. Jackson, knee; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP |
| CB B. St-Juste, ankle; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP | OL S. Lemieux, toe; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP |
| G T. Turner, knee/ankle; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP | WR D. Slayton, illness; Wed: NL; Thurs: DNP |
| C T. Larsen, shoulder; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP | TE D. Bellinger, eye; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP |
| TE L. Thomas, rib; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP | DB D. Belton, clavicle; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP |
| DE C. Young, knee; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP | RB G. Brightwell, illness; Wed: DNP; Thurs: LP |
| LB C. Coughlin, thigh; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP | |
| OL J. Feliciano, neck; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP | |
| DB D. Holmes, shoulder; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP | |
| WR R. James, knee; Wed: DNP; Thurs: LP | |
| DB F. Moreau, oblique; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP | |
| DL L. Williams, neck; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP | |
| DB C. Flott, concussion; Wed: LP; Thurs: FP | |
| OL E. Neal, knee; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP | |
| OL T. Phillips, neck; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP |
STEVE’S PREDICTION
Washington wins 23 – 20. This is a pretty even matchup between two teams with many similar strengths and weaknesses. The game is in New York, so that favors the Giants, and certainly Washington has had some downright awful performances against them in recent years. This time, though, I think it will be different – Washington isn’t playing down to opponents. The bottom line is that they’ve been pretty good in recent weeks, and the Giants haven’t. I therefore predict that Washington pulls out a fairly low-scoring squeaker.
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