The NFC East is a wide open division, which isn't to say that there are multiple strong teams jockeying for the lead, but rather every team in it is struggling this year. The New York Giants lead the division with a 5-5 record, with Washington and the Philadelphia Eagles right behind them at four wins apiece. The Dallas Cowboys are at the bottom of the division with a 3-8 record.
Giants vs. Washington 2015 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch online
Eli Manning and Kirk Cousins will meet for the second time this season.
On Sunday, the Giants and Washington will meet for their second matchup of the season and it could be a huge deciding factor in the division. New York seems to have the most balanced, talented team, but they haven’t been able to consistently win games this year. They dropped games against the Eagles and Cowboys, and they can’t afford to lose anymore divisional games.
Fortunately, the Giants did beat Washington the first time around. In Week 3, Eli Manning completed 23 of 32 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Rueben Randle had a big game, with seven catches for 116 yards and Odell Beckham Jr. had 79 yards and a touchdown. Kirk Cousins struggled for Washington, throwing for a touchdown and two interceptions while being sacked just one time.
New York won that game, 32-21, and started a three-game winning streak that day. Since that streak ended though, they have alternated wins and losses in each game. Most recently, they lost to the New England Patriots in the closing seconds. They came so close to ending New England's undefeated streak.
The Giants had a bye week in Week 11, so they will be prepared for whatever Washington has to offer.
Washington is coming off a big loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 11. Both teams are coming off losses to undefeated opponents, but at no point was Washington within range of upsetting the Panthers. They lost the game, 44-16.
Cousins has been the starter for the season and that has led to mixed results overall. Cousins has completed 68.3 percent of his passes for 2,485 yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. That ratio isn’t bad, but it’s worth noting that Cousins has had more multi-interception games than he has had multi-touchdown games.
It's also worth noting that he had a career game against the New Orleans Saints in Week 10, throwing for 324 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. The game was definitely not the norm for him, and if you take away those touchdowns he has a much less stellar 11 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. In contrast, Manning has thrown 21 touchdowns against six interceptions this season.
Cousins leads the league’s No. 28-ranked offense, but if there’s one thing going in his favor it’s the fact that the Giants rank 31st in the league in total defense. Washington isn’t great, but they rank 19th in the league on that side of the ball. Coincidentally, that’s exactly where the Giants rank on offense, so the teams are fairly evenly matched overall.
But the Giants have a step up in the division, and if they win this one, Washington would likely need to win out to secure the NFC East.
How to watch
When: 1 p.m. ET
Where: FedEx Field, Landover, Md.
TV: FOX
Commentators: Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Laura Okmin
Online: NFL Game Pass
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