The Giants punched their playoff ticket in Week 16 and no matter what happens against the Redskins on Sunday, they'll be the NFC's No. 5 seed. Washington, meanwhile, is on the outside looking in, though they're first in line, which means with some luck, they'll too be participating in the postseason.
Here's exactly what they need to happen: The Redskins need to beat the Giants, and the Packers-Lions Sunday night matchup can't end in a tie. Also acceptable: The Redskins tie the Giants, the Packers lose to the Lions and the Buccaneers tie the Panthers. If either of those two scenarios play out (the former seems more likely), and Washington is in.
And while the Giants will play their starters -- Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. among them -- they would also love nothing better than to knock a division rival out of the playoffs.
"Obviously, you want to win the game, period. Not looking at what's at stake for them or anyone else," Beckham said, via ESPN.com's Jordan Raanan. "You want to win the game. Definitely knowing that you could keep a team out of the playoffs, that's a big deal in a sense. Just have to come out and do what we're capable of doing. The rest will handle itself."
Meanwhile, Victor Cruz was less concerned with the Redskins' playoff implications.
"Again, that's not our concern," he said. "It's not about keeping them out of the playoffs or keeping them at bay or whatever the case may be. We failed to beat them earlier on in the season and we obviously want to have a better showing against them this time. We lost a pretty significant lead against them in the first go-around, so that's kind of our emphasis, is going out there and gaining some revenge against that first game because of the way we played and how they came back to beat us."
Ah yes, the last time these two teams met, the Redskins were 0-2 and we were already having the "So Jay Gruden's probably getting fired soon, right?" conversations, and the Giants were 2-0 and Ben McAdoo had seamlessly made the transition to head coach. Then the Redskins overcame a 21-9 deficit, held the Giants to just two field goals in the second half, and eked out a 29-27 victory.
It was also the first time Beckham and Josh Norman squared off since their run-in in 2015. In case you've forgotten, the two went after it last season, when Norman was with the Panthers. It got so out of hand that the league suspended Beckham for one game.
"I think it went OK last time," Beckham said this week of his previous meeting with Norman. "I don't really see a problem with it except for when you point your finger at something, then you notice it. It's never really been an issue in my mind. I don't have any ill feelings towards him at all. We just like to compete. That's the bottom line. This is football. We're competitors and you want to win. Like I said, if we're playing marbles, whatever, I want to win. I don't want to lose. It should be a good matchup, like it always is."
The Giants dropped two more games following the Week 3 get-together, but have gone 8-2 since. The Redskins would win three more to get to 4-2, and now sit at 8-6-1.
If you're a Washington fan and looking for some hope, here you go: According to Football Outsiders' metrics, the Redskins rank ninth in total efficiency, which is three spots better than the Giants. Specifically, the Washington offense ranks fourth overall (the Giants are 21st), the defense is 25th (the Giants are No. 2) and special teams is 15th (the Giants are 16th).
How to Watch
- What: New York Giants vs. Washington Redskins
- When: Sunday, Jan. 1, 4:25 p.m. ET
- Where: FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland
- TV: FOX
- Streaming: Verizon NFL Mobile App
- Sunday Ticket: DirecTV
- Online: NFL Game Pass (available to watch online after midnight)
- Odds: The Redskins are 7.5-point favorites, according to SportsLine
Injury Report
Giants
- TE Jerell Adams (Shoulder) -- Questionable
- LB B.J. Goodson (Concussion) -- Questionable
- CB Coty Sensabaugh (Ankle) -- Questionable
- CB Janoris Jenkins (Back) -- Questionable
- S Nat Berhe (Concussion) -- Out
- DE Jason Pierre-Paul (Core muscle) -- Out
Redskins
- S/LB Su'a Cravens (Upper arm) -- Out
- CB Quinton Dunbar (Concussion) -- Out
- OL Vinston Painter (Calf) -- Out
- DE Chris Baker (Ankle) -- Questionable
- LB Will Compton (Knee) -- Questionable
- RB Rob Kelley (Knee) -- Questionable
- LB Ryan Kerrigan (Elbow) -- Questionable
- OL Spencer Long (Ankle) -- Questionable
- LB Trent Murphy (Foot) -- Questionable
- TE Jordan Reed (Shoulder) -- Questionable
- LB Martrell Spaight (Shoulder) -- Questionable
Prisco's Pick
The Giants are in the playoffs, while the Redskins need to win here to get in. That means all the motivation is with the Redskins. With a playoff game next week, the Giants will likely hold guys back. Redskins win big as they push for the playoffs.
Pick: Redskins 30, Giants 20