Two weeks after playing to a 20-20 tie, the (7-5-1) New York Giants and (7-5-1) Washington Commanders will meet once again on Sunday Night Football.
This time the stakes are even higher as the winner will have a firm grasp on playoff positioning, whereas the loser could fall out of playoff position depending on the outcome of Thursday night’s (9-4) San Francisco 49ers vs (7-6) Seattle Seahawks matchup.
Also Read: NFL defense rankings – We run down the 20 best defenses ahead of Week 15
Washington is the fresher of the two teams as they had their bye week last week, whereas the Giants were trounced by the Eagles 48-22.
New York Giants under pressure
It’s been almost a month since Big Blue has won a game as they’ve gone 0-3-1 in their last four and are dealing with a rash of injuries. It goes without question that Sunday’s game against the Commanders is as close to a must-win game for the Giants as it gets.
This week Brian Daboll was asked what his sense is on the excitement level of his players knowing the sense of urgency coming into this game.
“I think every game you have to be urgent. You have to be urgent in Week 1 against Tennessee just like you have to be urgent here. It’s a division game, so that’s always important. We haven’t done very well in the division, obviously. So again, our urgency and our preparation really never changes based on who we play or when we play them. I think you have to have that all the time.”
– Brian Daboll
If New York is going to end their winless streak, they must play better than they did two weeks ago, especially if Chase Young makes his season debut for the Commanders.
Here are three bold predictions for the New York Giants for Sunday night.
Saquon Barkley breaks slump and 100 yard mark in Week 15
Normally saying Saquon Barkley rushing 100 yards wouldn’t be considered a bold prediction. But in the last four games, the superstar running back is averaging just 38 yards on the ground and is averaging just 2.86 yards per carry in that span.
He’s also dealing with a neck issue which limited him to nine carries last week against the Eagles, but Barkley was a full participant at New York Giants practice on Wednesday and looks to be ready to carry a heavy workload.
The Commanders have the ninth-ranked run defense giving up 110 yards a game, and two weeks ago they held Barkley to 63 yards on 18 carries.
Great players step up when it matters most and although the Giants’ offensive line has been shaky and Barkley has struggled for the last month, look for him to bounce back on Sunday night and rush for over 100 yards.
Azeez Ojulari sacks Taylor Heinicke three times
The one positive you can take away from the Giants over the past month is the resurgence of their pass rush thanks to the return of Azeez Ojulari. After missing seven consecutive games due to a calf injury, Ojulari made his return two weeks ago against the Commanders and sacked QB Taylor Heinicke once and recorded two quarterback hits.
He followed that performance up by sacking MVP candidate Jalen Hurts twice last week. Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale has been thrilled with the return of his best pass rusher as it allows him to be more creative with his aggressive schemes.
Prior to Ojulari’s return, New York had just 20 sacks on the season, but in the last two weeks, they’ve had nine. With Washington’s offensive line needing to be mindful of where the blitz is coming from, this will leave the Giants’ 22-year-old pass rusher to be single-blocked. As a result, he will sack Taylor Heinicke three times.
Daniel Jones will finally win a game in primetime
Not only is this the biggest game of the season for the Giants so far, but it’s also the biggest game in the career of Daniel Jones. As everybody knows the team declined Jones’ fifth-year option which makes him a free agent after the season.
Aside from his past injuries and inconsistent play, one of the things that have made New York hesitant in giving him a new contract, is that Jones has not stepped up when the lights have been at their brightest.
The twenty-five-year-old quarterback is 0-9 in primetime games, and although some of those losses can be due to the Giants playing a superior team, sometimes as a quarterback you have to find a way to lift your team to victory. Fortunately for Jones, he’s facing the one team in the division he’s had success against.
In his six starts against Washington, his record is 4-1-1, and in his three starts at FedEx Field, he’s completed 73 out of 108 passes (67.6%) with seven touchdowns and zero interceptions. He will have another superb performance on Sunday and in the process win his first primetime game.