These two teams know who they are. There are no major lies being told in either locker room — both franchises know that at this current place in history, they rank near the bottom of the NFL landscape, and they are unlikely to compete for a playoff spot.
Still, the Washington Redskins and New York Giants will refuse to admit that the other team is better than them. While the outside world may write them off, passing over Sunday’s game between the two as something not worth their time, the matchup between NFC East foes will provide a critical mile marker in the season for both teams. The Giants are looking to prove to themselves that they can win without their prized running back in Saquon Barkley, as well as showing the world that rookie quarterback Daniel Jones is for real. As for the Redskins, all they want to do is instill some confidence back in the program, and maybe let the rest of the league know that they aren’t at the complete bottom of the barrel.
With this matchup on tap, we took the time to hold a conversation with Dan Benton, the managing editor of Giants Wire.
Zachary Neel: The Daniel Jones Era finally began last week, and the rookie was impressive in a comeback victory over Tampa Bay. From what you’ve seen so far this year, do you think Jones is the franchise QB that New York hoped he would be when drafting him this year?
Dan Benton: I thought Daniel Jones was going to be a quality franchise quarterback even before the draft. I never bought into the narrative when it came to DJ because I watched his entire career at Duke and knew what was being slung wasn’t steeped in any form of reality. Admittedly, there was a moment I wondered how I could have gotten it so wrong when (seemingly) everyone else laughed at the notion that he was a quality talent, but with four preseason games and one regular-season game now in the books, the few who believed in him are laughing loudest. That’s not to say he won’t have rookie growing pains though — he will — but he’s going to continue to surprise his skeptics and naysayers.
Benton: There’s obviously a lot of emotion that will go into Sunday’s game. Everyone knows how Josh Norman feels about Giants GM Dave Gettleman, and now Landon Collins feels similarly. There’s also Ereck Flowers returning to face his old team and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie on the sideline. Do you feel those guys will be able to keep themselves in check or do you anticipate some of the ongoing animosity to spiral out of control?
Neel: For the most part, I think that all of these players are professionals, and I don’t think anything too crazy will happen. However, with that being said, I never have any idea what is going to happen with Josh Norman plays the Giants. Though he has less of a chance to impact the game on the field as of late, that doesn’t mean that he’s not liable to affect the game off the field, and not always for the better. There’s a real possibility that Norman ends up near the Giants sideline at some point in the game, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him exchange a few words with Gettleman. If he does, it will surely be fun to watch.
Neel: It wasn’t all good for the Giants on Sunday; star running back Saquon Barkley suffered a high-ankle sprain and is expected to miss several weeks going forward. Without him, how do you think the offense will get by with Wayne Gallman shouldering the load?
Benton: This is a real guessing game. Obviously, losing Saquon is a tremendous blow for the Giants offensively, and there are no two players in the league that could account for his all-around production, but Wayne Gallman is no slouch. There will be certain adjustments that must be made and the Giants will, out of necessity, more heavily rely on their passing game, but if teams sell out on the pass, this newly reconstructed offensive line and Gallman are more than capable of making them pay.
Benton: What factored into the decision to keep Case Keenum in at starting quarterback as opposed to going to rookie Dwayne Haskins, who could have served to benefit from facing a highly questionable Giants secondary?
Neel: This was an interesting decision made by the Redskins, and one that I probably wouldn’t have made myself. We all saw how bad Keenum looked last week against the Bears, and that type of performance definitely warrants a new starter to be crowned, but Washington didn’t make the change, which leads me to believe that Haskins isn’t 100% ready to take the field. If he were ready, the Redskins would have undoubtedly used a matchup against the Giants porous secondary, allowing him to build some confidence in his first start. None-the-less, they chose to ride things out with Keenum and hope that he looks more like the QB we saw in weeks 1 and 2. It’s not the call that I would make, but we’ll see how it works out.
Neel: Before the season, both the Redskins and Giants were pegged to be at the bottom of not only the NFC East, but the entire league as well. After three weeks, has your opinion about either team changed drastically?
Benton: I know Giants fans are riding incredibly high right now, but this is not a well-constructed team at the moment. It’s easy to see what general manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur have in mind, but they’re an extremely top-heavy team relying on a plethora of rookies who are swimming in their own minds right now. The future is bright, but it’s still a few years off. And while I don’t cover the Redskins with regularity, I feel it’s safe to say they are in a similar boat. We’d all like to see what Dwayne Haskins has, but outside of him, there is some impressive young talent and the start of a solid foundation. Is Jay Gruden the guy long-term? Time will tell, but I don’t think the black cloud hanging over Washington is quite as bad as some people would suggest.
Benton: There are two players the Giants will surely need to concern themselves with in Week 4 — wide receiver Terry McLaurin and edge rusher Montez Sweat. What is the consensus on those players and how are they progressing?
Neel: Well, in a surprise development this week, it’s starting to look like McLaurin may not play against the Giants due to a hamstring injury, so you might catch a break there. So far this year, he’s been the lone bright spot for the Redskins, and he’s been fun to watch along the way. As far as Montez Sweat goes, I expect him to continue to come along as the season goes on. He started very slow in the first two games, but showed the skills that Washington knew they were getting when they drafted him in the first round this year. If you’re worried about someone getting pressure on Daniel Jones, you need to worry about Sweat.
Neel: After Odell Beckham Jr. was traded away this offseason and Golden Tate got suspended for PEDs, the pass-catching depth in New York grew relatively thin. Who do the Redskins need to worry about covering on Sunday?
Benton: I think the notion that the unit is “thin” is somewhat subjective. Trading away Odell and losing Golden Tate to a suspension leaps off the page, but the Giants have a lot of quiet quality at the position — so much so that they’ve carried extra receivers this year because they didn’t want to risk losing some of the guys. Sterling Shepard is somehow still vastly underrated, Darius Slayton is a speedy rookie who is already running routes at an experienced level, Bennie Fowler offers consistency and Cody Latimer frequently comes up with big plays. They aren’t a superstar unit in name, but top to bottom, they are quality players who aren’t going to hurt the team.
Benton: Daniel Jones displayed a surprisingly cool demeanor in his NFL debut earning praise from just about everyone for conducting himself like a long-time veteran. How do the Redskins approach that on Sunday and how will they aim to rattle his cage and create some rookie mistakes?
Neel: I hate to be a pessimist, but I could really see Jones having another great day against the Redskins on Sunday. Washington is allowing over 30 points per game, and their secondary has been easily exploitable. For once, on Monday night, the Redskins were able to get a little bit of pressure on Mitchell Trubisky and the Bears offense, forcing him into a few bad throws. If they want to get Jones rattled on Sunday, they’re going to need to knock him to the turf a couple of times early in the game.
Neel: The Giants have owned this matchup over the course of history, but both teams find themselves near the bottom of the league, once again trying to avoid coming in last place in the division. So who do you think wins this latest installment, and what’s the final score?
Benton: It’s tricky because this game could go either way. The Giants will likely leave some points on the field due to Barkley’s absence, but I still feel they come up with a “W,” although it may be by the skin of their teeth. Anyone can have a field day against their secondary right now, so I expect the Redskins to be slinging it for four quarters. Giants 31, Redskins 28
Benton: Should the Redskins lose to the Giants on Sunday, do you believe that will bring to an end the Jay Gruden era in Washington?
Neel: I thought he would be fired if the Redskins lost to the Bears, and when they fell behind 28-0 in the first half, I was sure it would happen. However, Gruden is still around to coach another day, so I can’t say with any certainty that one more loss to the Giants will do him in. I don’t see how you can start a season 0-4 and keep your job after entering the season on the hot seat, but Gruden has managed to do it more than once.
