Jeremy nailed the parlay last Thursday night convincingly as the Falcons crushed the Bucs and the game soared over the posted total. Jeff wound up going 1-1 as he hit the total, but lost with the Bucs as they didn’t bother to show up. Tonight’s game features an NFC East matchup between the Redskins and Giants. Both teams currently sit at 1-2. Can the Giants win their second straight? Will QB Kirk Cousins continue his strong play and lead the Redskins to victory? Let’s get to the picks.
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New York Giants at Washington Redskins (-3.5)
Total Points: 46.5
Jeff: The Giants hit the road after their first win of the season against the Texans. The Redskins return home after a tough loss at Philadelphia where they came up three points short. The impressive part of that game was the Redskins’ ability to stop the run against a team that usually thrives in that area. The Eagles were held to a total of 54 yards on the ground. RB LeSean McCoy managed only 22 yards on 19 carries. After seeing what RB Rashad Jennings did to the Texans’ defense, you have to figure the Redskins’ game plan will be to limit the Giants’ ability to run the football and make their passing game, which has struggled so far this season, beat them. As for the Redskins’ offense, QB Kirk Cousins lit up the Eagles’ secondary to the tune of 427 yards. It won’t be as easy tonight as the Giants’ secondary is a solid group. Where the Redskins should have success on offense is in the running game. RB Alfred Morris should be in store for a solid game tonight against this defense. I like the Redskins in this contest. I think they control the game with their run game, and play well defensively. As of for the total, I’m not expecting a high-scoring contest. I think both defenses will play well enough to get stops, and force the other team into kicking field goals. Look for the Redskins to get the win here, 23-17.
Pick: Redskins -3.5
Total Points: Under 46.5
Jeremy: The New York Giants travel to Washington in a battle of two longtime NFC East rivals. The Giants will look to build on their convincing win over Houston last week while the Redskins are coming off a shootout loss to Philly and look to right the ship against a suspect Giants defense. Against the Texans, Eli Manning looked surprisingly efficient as he threw for 234 yards with 2 touchdowns and more importantly, no interceptions. Look for the Giants to feature the passing game in this one as they face a stout Redskins run defense that is ranked third in the NFL, giving up a measly 64 rushing yards per game. The Redskins have given up an average of 218 passing YDS/G and will be without top CB DeAngelo Hall forcing E.J. Biggers and rookie Bashaud Breeland into larger roles. This could lead to a big game for Victor Cruz who last week grabbed his first TD reception since Week 4 in 2013. The return of QB Kirk Cousins has led to a resurgence by the Washington offense. Since taking over for Robert Griffin halfway through the first quarter against Jacksonville in Week 2, Cousins has thrown for 677 yards and 5 touchdowns. I see him having similar success against the Giants who rank 22nd in the league in pass defense and gave up 289 yards to Ryan Fitzpatrick last week. Despite grabbing their first win and putting up impressive numbers on both sides of the ball last week, I have no faith the Giants can repeat that performance. The Redskins have too many weapons on offense and their defense will shut down the NY running game forcing Manning and Co. to become one dimensional and predictable. With Cousins at the helm for the Redskins at home and Manning being forced to throw all night for the Giants, this game will clear the posted total of 46.5. I like the Redskins at home against an inconsistent opponent.
Pick: Redskins -3.5
Total Points: Over 46.5
