The New York Giants (3-11) travel down to the Nation’s capital to face the Washington Redskins, who are also 3-11 this season.
Here’s a quick look at six things fans should know ahead of the NFC East matchup:
The series
The Giants-Redskins rivalry began in 1932 when the Skins were known as the Boston Braves and is the oldest in the NFC East division. The Giants have a regular season lead in the series of 101-68-4.
The teams have met twice in the postseason. In 1943, the Redskins shut the Giants out, 28-0, at the Polo Grounds then lost the NFL Championship to the Chicago Bears the next week, 41-21.
In January of 1987, Big Blue returned the favor, blanking Washington, 17-0, in the NFC Championship Game at Giants Stadium. The Giants went on to defeat the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXI two weeks later.
The Giants defeated the Redskins, 24-7, in their first meeting this season in Week 4 at MetLife Stadium.
What’s going right for the Giants
The Giants defeated the Miami Dolphins, 36-20, at MetLife Stadium last Sunday to end a franchise-tying nine-game losing streak in what will likely be Eli Manning’s final home start in Giant Blue.
In in the win over Miami, second-year running back Saquon Barkley ran for 112 yards, his first 100-yard game since Week 2 and the 10th 100-yard rushing game of his career.
The Giants lead the NFC in punt returning with a 11.2-yard average.
Outside linebacker Markus Golden has 9.0 sacks this season which are the most by a Giants linebacker since Jessie Armstead had 9.0 in 1999.
What’s going right for the Redskins
The Redskins recorded at least two sacks in their 11th -straight game last week against the Philadelphia Eagles, tying the second-longest streak in franchise history.
Washington gained at least 18 first downs in their fourth-straight game, the first time they’ve done so since Week 2-Week 6 of last season.
The Redskins have rushed for 100 or more yards in four consecutive games, the most since Week 7-Week 11 of 2016.
What’s not going so well for the Giants
The Giants are 3-11 and the sharks are circling. This is their sixth losing season over the last seven years. There is little confidence that head coach Pat Shurmur and his staff will return for a third season.
The postseason sit-down with co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch is expected to result in unprecedented wholesale changes that could entail the dismissal of much of the front office and a complete restructure of the franchise’s organization.
What’s not going so well for the Redskins
Washington is operating under interim head coach Bill Callahan and will likely be in the market for a restructuring of their own after the owner, Daniel Snyder, won the power struggle with former head coach Jay Gruden over the use and development of rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins.
The Redskins are dead last in the NFL in total offense but are 12th in total defense. The Redskins are still only averaging 15.4 point per game this season after scoring at least 27 points in back-to-back games for the first time since Week 10-Week 11 of 2017.
This game has meaning
With a win, the Giants will complete a sweep over Washington and avoid staying out of the NFC East basement for the first time in three seasons.
With a loss, they will sink back into last place bu their draft position will either remain the same (at No. 2 overall) or move them closer to the top pick, which is dependent on the outcome of the other teams at the bottom of the league — Cincinnati, Miami and Detroit — and their games.
