Bold Predictions: Redskins vs. Giants

[caption id="attachment_1577" align="aligncenter" width="279" caption="Haynesworth is a physical presence"][/caption]

This one will not be for the faint of heart or the weak of stomach or the wobbly-kneed. Hide the women and children. Probably not a bad idea to put away small dogs, too. Multiple collisions resembling car wrecks—and I'm talking a pair of SUV's here, not, say, a VW and a Prius—will be taking place on every snap of the ball. It's a gonna be a real slobber knocker. (Hopefully, we will stay away from any bodies being mangled as badly as the clichés above.) The Washington Redskins and Giants will face off in their final meeting in Giants Stadium, a building that nobody associated with the Redskins will miss. For the most part it's been a house of horrors for Washington. Even on the infrequent occasions when the wind hasn't been swirling, wreaking havoc with punts, passes, and kicks, the Redskins generally fall behind early and can't quite muster a sufficient comeback. Take last year's 16-7 loss in East Rutherford. The Giants rolled down the field on their opening possession and scored a touchdown. They rolled downfield three more times and they were up 16-0 before the Redskins offense could get untracked. The final was respectable but one got the feeling that the Giants could have put their foot on the gas and scored again had the Redskins made it a one-score game. I could recount more, going back through both Gibbs eras, but I don't need to. And, when you boil it down, the building really has little to do with it. The Giants have won most of those games because they were the more physical team, often by a wide margin. The Giants are physical because that's their identity. And physical teams give the Redskins trouble. Will things be any different on Sunday? It could be. The Redskins have added a massive physical presence right in the middle in Albert Haynesworth. He should prevent Brandon Jacobs from finding a path into the secondary to posterize a LaRon Landry again. Haynesworth is the highest paid defensive player in the league because his presence is supposed to have ripple effects through the defense. But, unfortunately, Haynesworth plays on just one side of the ball and, as discussed here earlier, the New York defensive line is loaded and the Redskins O-line is likely to struggle on Sunday. It's hard to scheme around such a disadvantage and it will take all of Jim Zorn's offensive creativity to muster a few productive drives. Hard hitting. Low scoring. Turnovers always are key and this game will be no exception. The Redskins get a pick six and hold the Giants at bay. With light winds, Shaun Suisham nails a couple of medium-range field goals. A late Giants drive fizzles after consecutive sacks. Redskins 13, Giants 10