There was a point in time when the NFC East was a formidable division. You had the Cowboys with Aikman, Ervin and Smith, you had the Redskins with Mark Rypien and the posse. Teams from outside the division feared these teams. Fast forward thirty years later and the division appears to be back where it was. You have stingy defenses, solid running games and Quarterbacks that do enough for their teams to win.
This week we have the pleasure of watching the New York football Giants against the Washington Commanders. The NFL decided to flex this game because of the playoff implications and the importance of this game. Two weeks ago these teams played to an anti-climatic tie. This week both teams will try and bring their A game, and with a win puts themselves in the driver seat for a wild card spot. As I analyze this game, I believe one of these teams has a slight edge over the other. The Commanders are coming off a bye and are well rested. The Giants on the other hand, are licking their wounds from an ugly loss against the fierce Philadelphia Eagles. Granted Saquon wasn’t 100%, but there are more issues with the Giants and why they lost that game. This game will be a home game for Washington, and the biggest reason they have an edge is their defense. You can go back to when the tides turned for them and it’s when the defense turned things around. William Jackson III was jettisoned off the team, Kam Curl started playing well, in addition to Bobby McCain. This team changed their mentality and focus and it shows, as in their last 8 games they are 6-1-1. Their loss was a close one and in that game they were up 17-7 against a good Vikings team.
The Commanders are playing well led by their underdog quarterback Taylor Heinicke. Taylor has done just enough for this team to make them dangerous. He makes the big play when it’s needed and his elusiveness in the pocket make it hard on the defense. Sunday’s game will be one of Taylor’s biggest ones. The lights will be on and he has a chance for his team to be in cruise control into the playoffs. What will happen? That remains to be seen, and I believe this game is Washington’s to lose. If they take care of the ball, run for 100 yards or more and play good defense, they will come out with a victory.
Prediction: Washington 24 Giants 14
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