NFL Betting Picks: New York Giants at Washington Redskins

Added on Jan 01, 2011 by Jack Thurman in

NFL

The final Sunday of the NFL regular season is upon us and the New York Giants need to win on the road against the Washington Redskins *and* get some help from the Chicago Bears just to make the playoffs. At one point, the Giants looked like the team to beat in the NFC but they’ve slumped down the stretch losing four of their last seven games to enter this contest at 9-6. The Redskins have been ‘slumping’ for most of the year and are 6-9.

New York Giants at Washington Redskins
January 2, 2011 1:15 PM Pacific

There’s a lot not to like about the New York Giants at this point, not the least of which is their injury situation. Wide receiver Hakeem Nicks is unlikely to play here. Center Shaun O’Hara has struggled with a recurring foot/Achilles Tendon issue all season—it’s caused him to miss nine games and he has been unable to practice this week. Cornerback Corey Webster has also missed practice due to a rib injury, but team officials are hopeful he’ll be able to participate on Thursday. Running back Ahmad Bradshaw (ankle), defensive end Justin Tuck (chest), safety Antrel Rolle (ankle), defensive tackle Chris Canty (neck), defensive end Osi Umenyiora (knee), returner Will Blackmon (knee) and defensive end Dave Tollefson (knee) are all listed as ‘questionable’ on the latest injury report.

They really couldn’t have asked for a better matchup than this one, injuries or no injuries. The Redskins are a mess. Most of the media coverage has been focused on the feud between head coach Mike Shanahan and QB Donovan McNabb, but the real problem with the Skins is their abysmal defensive play down the stretch. Washington is dead last in total defense, giving up a whopping 393.5 yards per game. That’s just not bad, that’s historically bad–only 9 teams since 1983 have given up more yards. The Redskins’ secondary is especially barren at this point–they’re #31 in passing defense giving up 262.9 yards per game. Eli Manning has problems facing an aggressive pass rush, but should be able to work effectively against Washington–their best pass rusher, Brian Orakpo has been fighting a hamstring injury and althouth he’s expected to play its not certain. In any case, he’ll be less than 100%.

The Giants run the football well and have one of the better pass rushes in the NFL. That doesn’t bode well for Rex Grossman, who may be trying to ‘make things happen’ in this high profile audition to fill the inevitable vacancy that will be left when Washington sends the petulant McNabb packing in the off season. Ultimately, we’ve got a motivated visitor with superior talent against a team playing out the string with countless liabilities throughout the lineup. The Giants are 7-0 SU/5-2 ATS as a favorite in this price range (-3′ to -9′) this season and we look for them to take care of business in this spot.

Bet New York Giants -3′ over Washington Redskins