Redskins game day examination: Giants redux

November 29, 9:49 PMWashington Redskins ExaminerMark Newgent

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This week is a redux with New York Giants Examiner Zac Wassink. Zac answers my second round of questions over at his place. You can see our first Q&A from the season opener here.

Mark Newgent: I have to admit that you nailed it during our first Q&A. The Giants are indeed the class of the NFL. Having said that, what other NFC team could beat the Giants for the NFC Championship?

Zac Wassink: Any bitter, paranoid Giants fan has to be at least slightly intimidated by the Dallas Cowboys. New York's secondary is still suspect in my eyes and watching Tony Romo and T.O. pick apart the (lowly) 49ers did send a slight shiver down my spine. Yes, New York is much better than San Fran but that doesn't change the fact that on a good Dallas day and a bad New York day, the Cowboys would beat Big Blue.

The bipolar Panthers worry me, too. Great defense and an offense with Steve Smith could be enough to beat any team.

MN: Can Eli Manning be had by the blitz?

ZW: On the contrary, I think Eli has learned to handle the blitz as good as any quarterback in the league. He does a great job of repositioning blockers when he sees blitz packages, similar to the older Manning in Indy. Eli also knows when to step up in the pocket instead of back, causing pass rushers to go right by him. Of course, it doesn't hurt to have one of the best O-lines in the game.

A weird comparison here but I sometimes wonder if Eli is like Bernie Kosar in that a defense is better off dropping men back and playing a 7 or 8-man zone. Confusing Manning with different zones and man coverages instead of blitzes may be Eli's weakness.

MN: Does Tom Coughlin change his strategy if Brandon Jacobs and Plaxico Burress do not play? [UPDATE: Burress shot himself or was shot in the foot]

ZW: Nope. He didn't against Arizona and everything worked out fine. That's the scariest part about these Giants. They were without their two best offensive players (not counting Eli and the O-line) and they still put over 30 points on the board. Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw won't rush for 200 yards but they'll get the job done on critical third and even fourth downs.

Don't look now but the passing game actually seems to flourish when Plax isn't in. Steve Smith, Amani Toomer and even The Boss (Kevin Boss) step it up, especially in the red zone. Don't forget about Dominek Hixon. He's not just a special teams player and opposing defenses would be wise to keep that in mind. Hixon is a star in the making.

MN: If you were Jim Zorn, what area of the Giants defense would you attack?

ZW: The secondary, no question about it. Clinton Portis won't rush for more than 80 yards on the Giants and Big Blue gives up at least two big plays per game through the air. I'd fire a 30 yard bomb to Moss early just to test the waters.

You have to put Jason Campbell in the gun, though, or else the New York pass rush is going to ca-rush that young man.

MN: What other NFC East team earns a Wild Card spot?

ZW: I don't know that the Cowboys or the Redskins will make it this year. Carolina, Tampa Bay and Atlanta could end up taking the final three playoff spots. Washington has an easier schedule than Dallas and WFAN tells me they have the tiebreaker over the Cowboys if they end the season with the same record. With that said, the Cowboys are the better team and they're actually getting somewhat healthy.

I'll say this. If the Redskins beat the Giants this Sunday, they're making the playoffs. Does that make this game a must-win? At this point of the season, I think every game is "must-win" for every team but New York...even though the Giants haven't mathematically clinched anything but a 10-win season yet.

Thanks again Zac.

Sunday’s weather forecast keeps deteriorating into something like the Allies faced on the English Channel in June 1944. See here for more gratuitous military analogies. Conventional wisdom says the running games will take center stage. The Giants are the top ranked rushing offense (165 YPG) and the Redskins rank third averaging about 20 yards less (145 YPG). However, this game features the sixth (Giants) and seventh (Redskins) ranked run defenses.

Way back in Week 1, the Giants gashed the Redskins for 154 yards, 116 from Brandon Jacobs. This time, Greg Blache will be ready not only for Jacobs, but Ahmad Bradshaw and Derrick Ward. I just don’ think Blache’s scheming can make up for the injuries plaguing this banged up Redskins defensive line. London Fletcher, the team’s leading tackler, is a game-time decision. Late in the game look for Jacobs to break a long run on a worn down defense to seal the win or provide the winning margin. Zac counseled taking shots at the Giant secondary with Santana Moss the weather may negate that advantage.

My Prediction: Giants 10, Redskins 6.