Tale of the tape

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Week 13: New York Giants At Washington Redskins

Giants

Redskins

Eli Manning had a solid bounce back game against the Green Bay Packers in Week 12. He threw three TD passes and did not have an interception in the Giants’ 38-10 victory. However, Manning was 16-of-30 in that game and missed some throws that he should have hit. However, when it comes to making key plays in clutch situations, Manning may be the best in the business.	Quarterback	RGIII has been a sensational performer in his rookie season. While his athletic ability is stellar, he has been a remarkably accurate passer who has raised the level of the Redskins’ play. In his past two games, his passer rating has been 158.3 and 132.6. He threw eight touchdown passes and just one interception in those two games.
The Giants got their ground game going against the Packers, and that certainly helped wide receivers Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks. Running back Ahmad Bradshaw has rushed for 733 yards and he has a 4.6 yards per carry average. Cruz is an exceptional talent who can make long plays, but he will have occasional drops.	Offense	Running back Alfred Morris is having a sensational rookie season. Morris has rushed for 982 yards and he has a 4.7 yards per carry average along with six touchdowns.Santana Moss is a big-play receiver who has caught 29-416-7, while fellow wideout Leonard Hankerson has caught 29-384-1.
The Giants’ vaunted pass rush was back in form against Aaron Rodgers. Osi Umenyiora’s sack/strip of Rodgers and a subsequent recovery by Jason Pierre-Paul gave the Giants control of the game they would not give up. The Giants need that pass rush to play consistently the rest of the season and it will have its hands filled against RGIII. Linebacker Chase Blackburn is a hard-hitting tackler.	Defense	The Redskins can’t match the Giants in talent, but they play hard on defense. The Redskins rank 28th overall on defense and 31st against the pass. The Redskins will have to pressure Manning if they are going to slow down the Giants. That means outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan (6.5 sacks) is going to have to overcome the Giants’ strong offensive line if he wants to get his hands on the New York quarterback.
Punter Steve Weatherford and placekicker Lawrence Tynes have formed an excellent partnership. Weatherford not only has a strong leg (46.7 yards per punt), he excels at putting the ball in a difficult position for the returners to handle. Tynes has made 29-of-32 FG attempts, but just 1-of-3 from 50 yards and beyond.	Special Teams	The Redskins are very happy with Kai Forbath, who has solidified their kicking since taking over from erratic Billy Cundiff. Forbath has made all 10 of his field goal attempts but he has missed one extra point. Sav Rocca is a decent punter with a good but not great leg. He is averaging 44.0 yards per punt.

The winner is

Giants

4 out of 4

The Giants will get pushed to the limit by the Redskins in this game. Washington gets a chance to perform on Monday night against the defending Super Bowl champions. That’s a huge opportunity for RGIII and this up and coming team. If the Giants are not at their best, there is an excellent chance for an upset.

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