Game Preview, Week 17: Redskins at Giants
December 28, 2017
by Steve Thomas and Sean Conte
Well, here we are: we’ve arrived at yet another week 17 game. This season certainly didn’t turn out how we all hoped for our favorite team, but I don’t think anyone could have predicted the incredible number of injuries the Redskins have suffered this season. This week’s opponent, the rival New York Giants, are one of a very few number of teams who have suffered a comparable number of injuries, having lost essentially their entire wide receiver corps en route to a horrendous 2 – 13 season. This is a game that Washington truly can and should win. The 2017 Giants have essentially no redeeming qualities, with an unproductive offense led by an aging quarterback, a terrible defense, and a special teams unit that rivals the Redskins in terms of a lack of productivity. On top of this, as you are aware, the Redskins still have something to play for in the form of a .500 record, whereas a win by the Giants all of a sudden puts them in danger of losing the second overall draft pick to the Colts. #motivation. Washington can pull this off and finish the season on a three game win streak. Here’s what we think:
Game time & location: Sunday, December 31, 2017,1:00 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: Sean Rosen, Matt Millan, Jennifer Hale
DC-area radio: ESPN 980
Redskins radio network: http://www.redskins.com/media-gallery/radio-network.html
Giants radio network: http://www.giants.com/games-and-schedules/broadcast-information.html
Satellite radio: XM: 228 (Giants broad.) Sirius: 134 (Redskins broad); internet: 831 (Redskins broad.)
Redskins roster: http://www.redskins.com/team/roster.hml
Redskins depth chart: http://www.redskins.com/team/depth-chart.html
Giants roster: http://www.giants.com/team/roster.html
Giants depth chart: http://www.giants.com/team/depth-chart.html
All-time head-to-head record vs Giants: 67 – 98 – 4 (last 10: 4 – 6)
Last meeting: W, November 23, 2017, 20 – 10
Early odds: Redskins, -3.5
SEAN’S 5 KEYS TO THE GAME
The Redskins passing offense must get rolling
There’s really no excuse for the Redskins offense not being able to move the ball and score against the Giants. New York is a team in turmoil and boasts one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Throw in the loss of both Landon Collins and Eli Apple, and it should be a defense that’s ripe for the pickin’.
Start fast, please
The last thing the Redskins need is to allow the Giants to turn this game into a dogfight. We’ve all seen that movie ten too many times. Washington has generally been good in the first quarter this season, with apologies to last week’s Denver game, and that needs to happen again Sunday. Put this team down on the canvas early, Redskins, before the Giants make a real game of it.
Do not let Evan Engram have a field day
We all know what athletic tight ends have done to the Redskins over the past many years. Nothing good. With the loss of Odell Beckham, Jr., and a bunch of other receivers, Engram has become the Giants’ leading target, and the Redskins have a shortage of linebackers at the moment. He gets alot of balls thrown this way, and the 2017 Giants are a pass-happy team. That could be a recipe for bad.
Clamp down on the Giants run game
New York is a poor running team, almost as bad as the Redskins. That having been said, Washington has had trouble stopping quality running backs this year, particularly as the injuries mounted. Nobody will mistake Orleans Darkwa for a hall of famer, but he does have some talent and is the type of guy who could end up with a decent day if the Redskins aren’t careful.
Just don’t quit
Lastly, just don’t quit, Redskins. The season isn’t over, and unlike the Giants, you still have something to play for in a .500 record. If you play through all 60 minutes, you really should be fine. This opponent is a division rival, yes, but they are still 2-13.
SEAN’S 3 KEY MATCHUPS
Evan Engram vs. Redskins linebackers
As I mentioned, tight ends have at times been the bane of the Redskins defensive existence. Engram happens to be one of the only remaining weapons the Giants have left. Whatever healthy linebackers the Redskins are able to trot out must keep Engram in check.
Kirk Cousins vs the Giants secondary
As we mentioned, the Giants secondary is shorthanded, and not that successful even when healthy. Good Kirk needs to show up for for a full 60 minute game and pick apart the vulnerable Giants defense.
Ryan Kerrigan vs Bobby Hart and Chad Wheeler
Kerrigan is coming off of one of his more impressive games of the season last week against the Broncos, and should be key to the Redskins ability to create pressure on Eli Manning. The right side of the Giants’ offensive line is tasked with stopping him.
OFFICIAL INJURY REPORT (as of Friday (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
| Redskins | Giants |
| LB R. Anderson, knee; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP | TE E. Engram, rib; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP |
| LB Z. Brown, illness/knee/achilles; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP | WR T. King, concussion; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP |
| WR R. Davis, concussion; Wed: DNP; Thurs: LP | DE J. Pierre-Paul, finger; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP |
| DL Z. Hood, elbow; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP | WR S. Shepard, neck; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP |
| WR B. Quick, illness; Wed: DNP; Thurs: LP | T E. Flowers, groin; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP |
| LB M. Spaight, illness/ankle; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP | T B. Hart, ankle; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP |
| WR M. Harris, back; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP | WR R. Lewis, ankle; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP |
| G K. Kalis, ankle; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP | DE A. Moss, hip; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP |
| DL T. McClain, toe; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP | |
| T M. Moses, ankle; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP | |
| WR R. Grant, ankle; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP | |
| RB S. Perine, groin/shoulder; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP | |
| G B. Scherff, foot; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP | |
| LB R. Kerrigan, calf; Wed: not listed; Thurs: DNP |
TEAM STATISTICS
Redskins:
The Redskins offense on on track to finish the year in mediocre fashion across the board in most areas (14th in points, 15th in total yards, 11th in passing yards, 19th in red zone efficiency), with the notable exception of the run game, which has been an abomination all year (29th in rushing yards per attempt and 26th in rushing yards per game). Fortunately, this week’s opponent, the New York Giants, provide one last opportunity to slightly improve their season rankings, as the Giants have been bad across the board. Conventional wisdom says that the Redskins offense should have a good day, but these Redskins-Giants games have had a history of being tough brawls regardless of the records of either team.
Defensively, the Redskins have been trending up over the course of the last two weeks, but when you’re ranked at the very bottom, upward trends sometimes don’t look particularly impressive. Washington is 26th in points surrendered, which is up from 32nd and last from a couple weeks ago. They’ve been better against the pass (14th in passing yards, 18th in passing yards per attempt, 6th in sacks) than the run (29th in rushing yards, 26th in rushing yards per attempt). The Giants run game has essentially been horrible this season, so unless the trend doesn’t hold form, expect the final season rankings to look a bit better than they currently do.
Record 7 – 8 (3rd) (Away: 2 – 5; NFC: 5 – 6; NFC East: 1 – 4)
All-time franchise record: 593 – 580 – 28
Offense
| Offensive rankings | 14 (points) (trend +4) / 15 (total yards) (trend +3) / 15 (yards per game) (trend +3) / 12 (yards per play) (trend +2) / 11 (passing yards) (trend +3) / 6 (passing yards per att.) (trend even) / 26 (rushing yards) (trend even) / 29 (rushing yards per att.) (trend -1) |
| Points for | 332 |
| Yards per game | 333.5 |
| Passing
|
503 att (19th); 327 comp; 65.0% comp per. (6th); 7.8 Y/A; 3615 net yds; 27 TD; 10 Int |
| Passing leader | Cousins (503 att, 3935 yds (7th), 65.0% comp perc., 27 TDs / 10 Int, 98.5 QB rating (6th) |
| Receiving leader | Crowder (764 yds (35th), 96 targets (34th), 63 rec (28th), 3 TD, 12.1 Y/C) |
| Rushing | 385 att (21st); 1387 yds; 3.6 Y/A; 92.5 Y/G (26th); 9 TD |
| Rushing leader | Perine (173 att, 600 yds (29th), 1 TD, 3.5 Y/A (40th), long 30) |
| Sacks surrendered / rank | 38 / 18 |
| Ave time of possession / rank | 29:47 / 18 |
| 3rd down conversion rate / rank | 34.0% / 28 |
| TD percentage in red zone / rank | 53.33% / 19 |
Defense
| Defensive rankings | 26 (points) (trend +3) / 21 (total yards) (trend -1) / 21 (yards per game surrendered) (trend -1) / 17 (yards per play) (trend +4) / 14 (passing yards) (trend +2) / 18 (passing yards per att.) (trend +2) / 29 (rushing yards) (trend -1) / 26 (rushing yards per att.) (trend -5) |
| Points against | 370 |
| Yards per game surrendered | 345.7 |
| Opponent’s passing | 503 att (12th); 296 comp; 58.8% comp perc. (5th); 7.1 Y/A; 3299 net yds; 22 TDs; QB Rating 82.8 (13th) |
| Opponent’s rushing | 428 att (24th); 1886 yds; 4.4 Y/A; 12 TD; 125.7 Y/G (29th) |
| Sacks / rank / Sack leader | 40 / 6 / Kerrigan (11.0) |
| Tackles leader | Brown (84) |
| Int / rank / Int leader | 15 /9 / Fuller, Swearinger (4) |
| Opponent 3rd down conv rate / rank | 37.62% / 12 |
| Opponent TD percentage in red zone / rank | 52.83% / 16 |
Special Teams
| Kick returns | 20.5 Y/R (21st), 32 returns, long 35 yards, 0 TDs |
| Punt returns | 5.1 Y/R (30th), 26 returns, long 18 yards (32nd), 0 TD |
| Kick return defense | 18.7 Y/R (2nd), 24 returns, 0 TD |
| Punt return defense | 11.9 Y/R (31st), 34 returns, 1 TD |
| Punting | 45.6 Y/P (13th) |
Turnovers (lost by O / recv’d by D / net / rank): 24 / 22 / -2 / 19
Penalties (total accepted # / rank): 88 / 4
Giants:
The Giants offense has basically zero redeeming qualities. They have attempted the most passes in the NFL (580), but are only 13th in completion percentage. Their run game, led by Orleans Darkwa, has been only slightly more successful than has the Redskins, but with only 350 run attempts on the year (28th), the Giants have one of the biggest run/pass imbalances in the NFL. The Giants have been terrible on 3rd downs (ranked 30th) and only slightly better in the red zone (ranked 22nd).
Defensively, the Giants might be the least successful unit the Redskins offense has faced all year. They are near the bottom of the NFL in almost every conceivable ranking (points: 29th; total yards: 32nd; passing yards: 31st; rushing yards: 28th; sacks: 30th). The only relevant team statistics that are even up to the mediocre level are rushing yards per attempt (19th) and red zone defense (18th). Even in their current severely injured state, the Redskins should be able to move the ball and score at a healthy clip this Sunday.
Record: 2 – 13 (4th) (Home: 1 – 6; NFC: 0 – 11; NFC East: 0 – 5)
Offense
| Offensive rankings | 31 (points) / 23 (total yards) / 23 (yards per game) / 26 (yards per play) / 18 (passing yards) / 30 (passing yards per att.) / 29 (rushing yards) / 26 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points for | 228 |
| Yards per game | 309.8 |
| Passing | 580 att (1st); 363 comp; 62.6% comp per. (13th); 6.1 Y/A; 3358 net yds; 19 TDs; 13 Int |
| Passing leader | Manning (543 att, 3336 yds (13th), 63.0% comp per., 18 TDs / 12 Int, 82.0 QB rating (23rd)) |
| Reception leader | Engram (722 yds (41st), 115 targets (16th), 64 rec (26th), 6 TD, 11.3 Y/C) |
| Rushing | 350 att (28th); 1289 yds; 3.7 Y/A; 85.9 Y/G (29th); 5 TDs |
| Rushing leader | Darkwa (151 att, 597 yds (30th), 4 TDs, 4.0 Y/A (23rd), long 47 yds) |
| Sacks surrendered / rank | 32 / 11 |
| Ave time of possession / rank | 28:13 / 28 |
| 3rd down conversion rate / rank | 33.2% / 30 |
| TD percentage in red zone / rank | 51.43% / 22 |
Defense
| Defensive rankings | 29 (points) / 32 (total yards) / 32 (yards per game surrendered) / 28 (yards per play) / 31 (passing yards) / 28 (passing yards per att.) / 28 (rushing yards) / 19 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points against | 378 |
| Yards per game surrendered | 384.9 |
| Opponent’s passing | 524 att (23rd); 327 comp; 62.4% comp per. (16th); 7.7 Y/A; 3902 net yds; 32 TD; QB Rating 98.6 (28th) |
| Opponent’s rushing | 448 att (29th); 1872 yds; 4. Y/A; 9 TD |
| Sacks / rank / Sack leader | 24 / 30 / Pierre-Paul (7.5) |
| Tackles leader | Collins (74) |
| Int / rank / Int leader | 10 / 21st / Jenkins (3) |
| Opponent 3rd down conv rate / rank | 41.63% / 26 |
| Opponent TD percentage in red zone / rank | 53.85% / 18 |
Special Teams
| Kick returns | 19.6 Y/R (27th), 31 returns, long 30 yards, 0 TDs |
| Punt returns | 5.3 Y/R (29th), 22 returns, long 20 yards (28th), 0 TDs |
| Kick return defense | 21.3 Y/R (18th), 30 returns, 0 TDs |
| Punt return defense | 10.1 Y/R (24th), 40 returns, 1 TD |
| Punting | 43.5 Y/P (29th) |
Turnovers (lost by O / recv’d by D / net / rank): 21 / 16 / -5 / 24
Penalties (total accepted # / rank): 88 / 4
* Statistics courtesy of www.pro-football-reference.com, www.nflpenalties.com, www.nfl.com, www.teamrankings.com, www.espn.com, www.sportingcharts.com