In a Week 6 divisional matchup, the New York Giants (0-5) face off with the Washington Football Team (1-4) for the first time this year. Both teams would be way out of the playoff race if they played in any division aside from the NFC East. Since they play in that extremely weak division, they are still in the divisional hunt, as the Dallas Cowboys are in first place at 2-3. The Washington Football Team will travel to MetLife Stadium for this game.
Washington Football Team
Offense
The feel-good story of Week 5 was Alex Smith coming in to replace Kyle Allen, returning to a football field for this first time since he suffered a life-threatening injury in 2018. After requiring 17 surgeries on his right leg with a broken tibia and fibula, he entered the game against the Los Angeles Rams and completed 9-17 passes (52.9%) for 37 yards. Allen will be starting against the Giants, however, after completing 9 of 13 passes for 74 yards last week.
Rookie running back Antonio Gibson had 51 yards from scrimmage (27 rushing, 24 receiving) last week, along with a career-high five catches. He aims for his third road game in a row with a rushing touchdown and fifth in a row with 50-plus scrimmage yards. Gibson is one of just three rookie running backs (James Robinson, Jonathan Taylor) with over 200 rushing yards (213) and three rushing touchdowns. J.D. McKissic had six catches for 46 yards and is gunning for his third game in a row with six or more receptions.
Terry McLaurin had seven catches for 86 yards against the Giants in their last meeting. He has 27 catches and three receiving touchdowns in five career games versus the NFC East. McLaurin had just three receptions on 26 yards last week. He will look to get it going it again after a 10-catch, 118-yard performance in Week 4. The other weapons for Washington had a combined four receptions. Running backs McKissic and Gibson both exceeded that total.
Defense
Safety Landon Collins led the team with 10 tackles and had one tackle for loss last week. He is facing his former team, which will give him extra motivation. Collins had six tackles and a fumble recovery in their last meeting.
Chase Young leads all rookies with 2.5 sacks this season and has had three tackles for loss. Montez Sweat had eight tackles and a sack in Week 5. Ryan Kerrigan has 10.5 sacks in his past 11 games versus the Giants, though he has been quiet since Week 1.
Jonathan Bostic will be trying for his sixth road game in a row with six tackles or more. He had five tackles last week at home.
Ronald Darby has three or more pass deflections in three of his four career games versus the Giants. He had five tackles last week as well.
New York Giants
Offense
Daniel Jones passed for 222 yards, completing 20 of 33 passes last week. In his last meeting against Washington, he passed for a career-high 352 yards and five touchdowns with zero interceptions.
Devonta Freeman had a season-high 87 scrimmage yards (60 rushing, 27 receiving) and a rushing touchdown in his third game since signing with the Giants. In his only career game against Washington, he had 197 yards from scrimmage, including 153 on the ground and seven catches. Wayne Gallman rushed for 24 yards on five attempts.
Darius Slayton had his fourth-career 100-yard game with eight catches for 129 yards last week. Golden Tate had four receptions for 42 yards in Week 5 and six catches for 96 yards in the last meeting between these two teams. Tight end Evan Engram had just one catch last week for 16 yards. However, he had his first career rushing touchdown and will be trying for his third game in a row versus Washington with 50 or more yards.
Defense
Kyler Fackrell had a 46-yard interception returned for a touchdown last week, his first career interception and first career trip to the end zone. He has tallied six tackles for a loss in the last four games. Blake Martinez had seven tackles and a fumble recovery last week. Martinez is one of two players (Zach Cunningham) with 50-plus tackles and two or more sacks this season. Logan Ryan led the defense with nine tackles last week. He had six tackles, two pass deflections, and an interception in his only career game versus Washington while with New England in 2015. Dalvin Tomlinson had his first sack of the season last week and aims for his fourth game in a row with a tackle for loss (two last week).
Game Info
Date: October 18, 2020
Time: 1:00 P.M. est
Location: East Rutherford, NJ
Venue: MetLife Stadium
TV: FOX
Betting Odds Sponsored by Jazz Sportsbook
Point Spread: WSH +2.5 (-110) | NYG -2.5 (-110)
Moneyline: WSH +115 | NYG -145
Over/Under: Over 43 (-110) | Under 43 (-110)
The Redskins have lost the last two games by 20 or more points. Despite their 0-5 record, the Giants have covered three times this season. The odds are in their favor to pick up their first win of the season in a divisional matchup at home. Take the under, as both teams have averaged less than 20 points per game.
Prediction
These two teams could wind up in the running for the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. They both could also be in the running for the NFC East title, thanks to mediocre play by all parties involved. With uncertainty at the quarterback position for Washington and the Giants having some extra motivation to win their first game, New York takes this one in a low-scoring affair.
Final Score: Washington 17, New York 21
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Main Image Credit: Embed from Getty Images
