The New York Giants had a tough time slowing down Washington Redskins rookie quarterback Robert Griffin, III, in their first meeting but so has everyone else this season. That is why Griffin could very well be on his way to NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors at season’s end. But the blossoming megastar has his sights set elsewhere — a postseason berth for the Redskins.
Of course, such an accomplishment will likely require the Redskins to overcome the defending Super Bowl champion Giants during this upcoming Monday Night Football.
In the two teams’ first meeting this season at MetLife Stadium, the Giants escaped defeat on a 77-yard touchdown strike from quarterback Eli Manning to receiver Victor Cruz to win 27-23. Griffin and the Redskins’ offense didn’t make it easy, however, tallying 480 yards of total offense, including 347 yards alone from the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner.
As the first team to see Griffin twice, the Giants are hopeful the experience will be beneficial to them in preparing for the type of threat he presents on every down. But they know the Redskins are coming into this game having made their own adjustments.
“I think they’re going to have some things in this game plan that they didn’t necessarily feature in the first game plan,” defensive end Justin Tuck said, via Giants.com. “We’ve just got to make sure we are in tune and communicating and make sure everybody is on the same page and I think we’ll have some success against them.”
In the teams’ first meeting, the most obvious misstep for the Giants’ defense was on a fourth-and-10 in the fourth quarter; a series during which Griffin turned nothing into something. Scrambling in the backfield and eluding the usually inescapable Giants’ defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, Griffin connected on a 19-yard strike to tight end Logan Paulsen. The Redskins scored three plays later.
New York plans to do a better job keeping Griffin under wraps by trying to contain him in the pocket, thereby limiting his dominance. Unfortunately, that’s all you can really do… try to contain him.
The only advantage the Giants have in this game is knowing that Griffin is much faster and much more lethal than they could have expected in the first match-up. They did slow down the Redskins offense for a while, but Griffin’s and rookie running back Alfred Morris’ success running the football — they combined for 209 rushing yards — opened up a passing attack that nearly stole a victory from the home team in MetLife Stadium.
The Giants are coming off an outstanding 38-10 victory at home against the Green Bay Packers and their generally high-powered offense. Otherwise one of the league’s most prolific passing games, New York held Packers’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers to just 219 yards passing and one touchdown while picking off a pass in the first quarter as well.
The Giants hope the momentum gained from such a big win will roll over into their meeting with the Redskins at FedEx Field.
“You’ve got different styles,” Giants head coach Tom Coughlin told reporters in regards to having the same success as they had against Rodgers when they see Griffin again. “But you’ve got to build on some positive things that occurred, yes.”
The Redskins depend on their running game to get things going on offense… that was evident in the two club’s first meeting; a loss for the Redskins in the final seconds. If the Giants wish to be successful in D.C., they must find a way to disrupt the NFL’s top rushing unit.
In doing so, the Giants would force the Redskins to turn to the pass, presenting that fearsome front four of New York’s to get their hits on Griffin and potentially force some dangerous plays, as was the case on his two turnovers in their previous meeting.
The Giants’ defense is hopeful that their second encounter with Griffin will be more enjoyable than the first. After the way the rookie quarterback was able to have his way with them in Week 7, guys like All-Pro defensive Osi Umenyiora are seeking redemption.
“He’s an outstanding quarterback, first, and so we’ve got our work cut out for us,” Umenyiora said, via Giants.com. “He did a lot of good things against us and hopefully we’ll be able to rectify that when we play them on Monday.”
Louis Musto is a contributor to the Sports Journey Broadcast Network covering the NFL and NBA. You can follow him on Twitter @LouisMusto.