Washington at New York – Bob vs. The Giants

Washington won in fashion style last Sunday thanks to an amazing 76 yard touchdown rush by Robert Griffin III, but if they plan on winning this week, they’ll need more than just him.

Washington’s offense was kept quiet against Minnesota on Sunday, putting up only 361 total yards. While that seems good, if you take away RGIII’s 76 yard rushing touchdown, the type of play you cannot count on week in and out, the Redskins offensively only put up 285 yards, 178 which came through the air. With just under 30 minutes of time of possession, the Redskins will need a lot more than that to win Sunday in the Meadowlands.

We saw a bit of a glimpse of what we should expect, which came from the Redskins defense. A defense which forced three turnovers, one of which went for a touchdown. If the Redskins can replicate that this week, and to an extent of what they did last year in New York, they have a legitimate chance of pulling off their first division win of the season.

The problem is, the Redskins pass rush is nothing close to what we saw last season, a pass rush that was able to keep Eli Manning under pressure all season long and force him into making mistakes, as well as incompletions. Most quarterbacks falter under pressure, but Eli Manning is one quarterback notorious for doing so.

In order to get pressure on Eli, Jim Haslett is going to need to think of new ways to disguise his blitzes, as well as new defense looks to throw at him. So far this season the Redskins have failed to do so against some of the lesser teams in the NFL, so going up against a Giants team that can put up points in an instance, the Redskins will need to be extremely careful.

A prime example of this is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, whom nearly escaped with a win in New York, only to find themselves on the losing side of the game. In that game, New York put up over 600 yards total, against a passing defense that is rated only a couple of places worse than the Redskins are.

As we’ve seen over the last couple of weeks, the Redskins defense has been getting stronger together, not necessarily great, but they are getting the continuity to somewhat be competitive with the teams they face — and as we all know, when the Redskins go up against some of the top dogs, they’re usually always up for the challenge.

What could be one of the brighter sides for the Redskins, is the foot injury Ahmad Bradshaw currently has. Bradshaw, much like Jacobs, has been a huge thorn in the side for the Redskins over the last couple of seasons, so having him out naturally should help the Redskins. The only downside to that is Andre Brown is their backup, a guy who has proven to be very competitive. Though he is coming off a concussions he suffered in Week 3, Brown was with the Redskins in 2010 before being released, so if he gets time on the field, you have to assume he’ll want Mike Shanahan to pay.

Offensively the Redskins should be in this game, the Giants only strong side is the pass rush and run stopping game, as their secondary hasn’t been the best so far this season. That doesn’t mean they can’t produce — as we all know anything is possible in an NFC East match up, but Washington should be able to pass with ease.

All off-season we heard how Robert Griffin III was drafted to be a pocket passer, not a replica of Michael Vick who runs consistently over and over, but so far that’s what we’ve seen to an extent. On Sunday in New York, I wouldn’t expect RGIII to run the ball nearly as much as he has the last couple of games.

The Giants are one team that know exactly how to prepare against scrambling style quarterbacks, and in fact have nearly been perfect in shutting them down. Throw in the fact that the Giants, especially Jason Pierre-Paul, have made it known they will be coming after him if he (Griffin) rushes to their side, they might want to be extremely careful how they handle him.

Robert Griffin III has already suffered one concussion against an Atlanta Falcons defense, and with an NFC East match up brewing up, along with all the trash talk, it’s very possible it could happen again if he’s not careful.

New York has not played well at home so far this season, so if the Redskins can take advantage of that by pressuring Eli Manning all game and giving Robert Griffin III time to throw the ball, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t win this game. The main concern is getting pressure on Eli Manning.

Much like Atlanta, if you give Eli Manning time to throw to his explosive wide outs, they can make you pay huge for it — and don’t think they aren’t tired of hearing about how Rex Grossman and the 2011 Redskins were able to sweep them twice, especially after they said they’d beat the Redskins 99/100 times.

It’s Bob’s first time facing the Giants, so let’s hope he’s 1/1 against them, which not only would give him his first win in the NFC East, but may even end the Giants season Week 7.

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