The New York Giants are looking to rekindle their playoff hopes with a victory over the Washington Redskins. The Giants dominated the Redskins in their first match-up, but they appear
to be in implosion mode. Could Rex Grossman be the difference in the rematch?
The early spread on this game is Giants (-3.5) Here are eight of the key aspects of the game and what to watch out for when betting. Stats from NFL.com and ESPN. All lines from Cooper's Picks.
#1: Divisional Game
All of the Week 17 games feature divisional games and rivalries. These teams have more familiarity with each other and know tendencies. Therefore, these games are often unpredictable.
#2: Playoff Implications
The New York Giants must win to have any chance at a wildcard position. They'll also need the New Orleans Saints to lose out to the Atlanta Falcons or Tampa Bay Buccaneers or a Green Bay Packers defeat to the Chicago Bears to clinch a fifth or sixth seed in the playoffs. They'll be playing at 4:15, the same time the Packers play the Bears. Therefore, the Giants will be trying to position themselves for a Packer or Saints mishap.
#3: Regular season match-up
The initial regular season battle came about a month ago. The Giants dominated the match-up as the Redskins had no answer for the Giants rushing game. However, Eli Manning had another subpar performance as the Giants were the benefactor of numerous Redskin miscues.
#4: Injuries
Both teams have been decimated with injuries. The Giants have eleven players on the IR and two more listed as questionable as of 12/27. The Redskins currently have ten players on IR, Albert Haynesworth on suspension, and eight players listed as questionable as of 12/26. This includes Carlos Rogers, DeAngelo Hall, and Derrick Dockery. They could be without up to six defensive backs and four defensive tackles for this match-up.
