Fresh off of two consecutive last-minute wins over the Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys, the Washington Redskins travel to New York on Sunday to face the 1-6 Giants.
Washington is 4-2 on the season and sit atop the NFC East division with a healthy two-game lead over the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas.
The Giants were once thought to be a possible sleeper team in the NFC with the offseason drafting of running back Saquon Barkley out of Penn State. The rookie RB who has not disappointed was seen as a nightmare duo with All-Pro wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Unfortunately for the Giants, the duo has delivered but the players around them have not and that has led to a nightmarish first half of the season for New York.
Because of the Redskins struggles over the past decade in New York where they have a 2-8 record, some have wondered if this a trap game?
The Redskins are approaching this game like every game they have played and that is with the mindset of no guarantees of a win just by showing up. Most of the players and coaches interviewed have unanimously mentioned that theme of not looking past the Giants despite their poor record.
“It’s the New York Giants and they’re a good football team,” Redskins Coach Jay Gruden said when asked about the Giants record. “We just mentioned two players that are possible Pro Bowl players – Saquon and obviously Odell. Then, they have a quarterback that’s a Hall of Fame quarterback. They’re very talented. Defensively, they’re learning a new system. They’re starting to play well together. They’ve been in some close games, lost some close games. You look at the NFL season and teams that are 1-6 and teams that are 4-2, a play here a play here. We could be 1-6. They could be… you never know. We know how competitive they are. We know how tough it is to play at that stadium. We’ve learned the hard way. Anytime you play in the NFC East on the road, it’s going to be a tough game. You don’t even look at the records.”
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Redskins quarterback Alex Smith who just played in his first ever NFC East game in the win over Dallas doesn’t care about the Giants record and poor start either.
“They’re a good football team,” Smith said. “I mean, turn on the tape. I think the bunch of games they’ve been in, had chances to win versus really good football teams. Been only a couple plays away here and there and it’s a division game. It’s early in the season. They’re a prideful group and this is going to be a… we’d be lying to ourselves if we didn’t think this was going to be a physical test. So yeah, I think that’s it. I mean it’s easy when you turn on the tape and see that these guys aren’t that far away.”
The 14-year veteran would not be baited into the Giants vulnerability because of the recent trades of defensive tackle Damon (Snacks) Harrison and cornerback Elijah Apple.
“I’m not going to get too wrapped up in that,” Smith said. “Who knows how they’ll take it? Maybe it’s going to fire them up if anything. Maybe they get, you know. Who knows the psychology of all that and I certainly don’t want to get caught up in it I guess. For us, trying to prepare for them, whoever is out there, all those guys have played all year anyway, in and out, so [we are] getting ready for them collectively as a group.”
The Redskins are trying to prove to their critics who have scoffed at wins over a porous Arizona Cardinals team, a hobbled Aaron Rodgers in a win over the Green Bay Packers, a mistake-ridden Carolina Panthers unit and last weeks win over Dallas that some say were robbed at the end of the game. Every win by the Burgundy and Gold has been met with skepticism outside of the nation’s capital depsite the team fielding one of the best defenses in the NFL and a run game that has to be accounted for.
The Redskins can put an almost insurmountable lead between them and the Giants with a win at MetLife Stadium on Sunday and that would go a long way to quieting the naysayers. It also would allow for Washington to keep a firm grasp on first place in the NFC East for a fifth consecutive week.