The New York Giants are beginning to turn around their season just as the Washington Redskins seem to be falling apart. The two will meet at FedEx Field on Sunday, their first game against one another this year, but moral victories won't be enough. Both of these teams need actual victories to raise the morale of the players.
Giants vs. Redskins 2013 picks and predictions: New York carries momentum into Washington, experts lean heavy in favor of Giants
Despite an 0-6 start, things are looking much different for the Giants at the moment, while the Redskins’ problems mount in the face of questions surrounding their suddenly anemic offense.
While Robert Griffin III was the darling of the 2012 season, it seems there's been a lot more finger-pointing this year as the Redskins have fallen to 3-8 with three losses in a row. They haven't even lost a game by less than a touchdown since their 33-27 defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1. Their most recent effort was a 27-6 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in which Washington had a season-low 10 first downs and just 190 total yards.
With one of the worst defenses in the NFL, they can’t afford miscues by the offense. Griffin’s numbers from a year ago are down across the board and he will need a lot more production if they stand a chance against their division rivals.
Since an 0-6 start, the Giants have won four of their last five games, though they are coming off of a 24-21 loss to the Dallas Cowboys that has almost certainly closed the lid on any playoff aspirations. But since they've played their way out of the cellar, there's still a chance for Tom Coughlin and company to salvage a .500 season and move on to 2014 with a greater sense that New York isn't far off from another Super Bowl run. Losing to the Redskins at this point would seem to suggest that the Giants aren't that close.
Who do the experts think will win between these two sub-.500 teams in the NFC East?
Here at SB Nation, four of six panelists think that the Giants will get the win on the road. New York’s defense has really clamped down lately and the offense isn’t turning it over at an alarming rate anymore. (Though they are still turning it over somewhat.)
Not a single one of the eight experts at CBS Sports picked Washington to win at home. It is a similar heavy tilt over at ESPN, where only two of the analysts thought that the Redskins could win this one. Seems as though most people think that momentum is going to carry the Giants to an easy win on the road.
That definitely would have been a surprise to hear after six weeks, but things sure are a lot different right now.
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