New York Looks To Avoid Their Fifth Straight Loss As They Host Washington

The New York Giants have done a lot of losing and not much winning this season.

They will look to avoid their fifth straight loss on Sunday when they host division rival Washington who is in first place in the NFC East.

New York comes into the game with a record of 1-6 while they’re 0-2 in the division. “according to http://www.espn.com/nfl/standings while Washington meanwhile comes into the game with a record of 4-2 while they’re 1-0 in the division. “according to https://www.giants.com/schedule/

As for the New York Giants previous game, they lost to Atlanta on Monday.

After losing to the Panthers on a 63-yard field goal with one second remaining in Week 5, the Giants saw their Monday night game against the Falcons all but slip away when Giorgio Tavecchio, who was kicking in place of injured Matt Bryant, made a 56-yarder to put Atlanta ahead by two scores with 1:55 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Giants eventually found the end zone on the ensuing drive, but it wasn’t enough in a 23-20 loss that dropped the team to 1-6 on the season. “according to https://www.giants.com/news/instant-analysis-giants-fall-to-falcons-23-20 “according to https://www.giants.com/news/instant-analysis-giants-fall-to-falcons-23-20

*Spencer Pulley, who signed with the team on Sept. 2, made his first start as a Giant on Monday night. He lined up at center, where he started all 16 games last season for the Chargers. He played in place of John Greco, who moved to right guard after Patrick Omameh was ruled out with a knee injury. “according to https://www.giants.com/news/instant-analysis-giants-fall-to-falcons-23-20

*Eli Manning, who was sacked four times, completed 27 of 38 passes for 399 yards with one touchdown to Odell Beckham Jr. with five seconds remaining in the game. “according to https://www.giants.com/news/instant-analysis-giants-fall-to-falcons-23-20

Wide receiver Sterling Shepard provided a spark early in the second half with a 53-yard catch-and-run only to have Giants’ red-zone woes continue. Big Blue didn’t find the end zone in its first three trips inside the 20, settling for two field goals in addition to a failed fourth-down conversion attempt. The offense eventually broke through on rookie running back Saquon Barkley’s two-yard touchdown run that cut the deficit to 20-12 with 4:47 left in the fourth quarter. Head coach/play-caller Pat Shurmur then decided to attempt a two-point conversion, but Manning and Beckham couldn't connect, keeping it an eight-point game. “according to https://www.giants.com/news/instant-analysis-giants-fall-to-falcons-23-20

*Barkley was held to eight yards on seven carries in first half, and finished the game with 43 on 14 attempts. The second overall draft pick also caught nine passes for 51 yards, snapping his historic streak of six games with 100 scrimmage yards to begin a career. Only he and Kareem Hunt had accomplished the feat in NFL history. “according to https://www.giants.com/news/instant-analysis-giants-fall-to-falcons-23-20 “according to https://www.giants.com/news/instant-analysis-giants-fall-to-falcons-23-20

*The Giants had a pair of 100-yard receivers in Beckham (eight receptions for 143 yards) and Shepard (five for 167). According to NFL Research, Beckham reached 5,000 career receiving yards in fewer games (54) than any player since the 1970 merger. The player he passed? Atlanta’s Julio Jones, who accomplished the feat in 56 games. “according to https://www.giants.com/news/instant-analysis-giants-fall-to-falcons-23-20

WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT THE DEFENSE:

*The Giants matched their season-high sack total in the first quarter alone, taking down former NFL MVP Matt Ryan three times (defensive end Kerry Wynn, rookie defensive tackle B.J. Hill and rookie outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter) in the first two drives. The Giants had just seven sacks – three against Houston in their only victory -- heading into Monday night. “according to https://www.giants.com/news/instant-analysis-giants-fall-to-falcons-23-20

*The Falcons turned the ball over a league-low three times in the first six weeks, but the Giants managed to take one away in the third quarter when Janoris Jenkins stripped Julio Jones and Eli Apple recovered. It was initially called an incomplete pass, but Shurmur successfully challenged the ruling. The Giants turned it into three points on the ensuing possession. “according to https://www.giants.com/news/instant-analysis-giants-fall-to-falcons-23-20

Big plays ultimately decided the game on a night when the Giants managed to do a good job in getting off the field against the high-flying Falcons. A 47-yard touchdown pass from Ryan to Marvin Hall opened the scoring, and Tevin Coleman’s 30-yard touchdown run broke the game open, giving Atlanta a 20-6 lead with 7:47 remaining in the game. Ryan completed his last 18 passes to end the game. “according to https://www.giants.com/news/instant-analysis-giants-fall-to-falcons-23-20

WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT SPECIAL TEAMS:

*Signed off the practice squad the day before the game, Quandree Henderson returned two punts for 29 yards. That included a 21-yarder, the team’s longest of the season. The Giants had just 39 total punt return yards in their first six games combined. “according to https://www.giants.com/news/instant-analysis-giants-fall-to-falcons-23-20

*The Giants also got a lift from their punt coverage units as Riley Dixon downed two inside the 20, including one by Antonio Hamilton at the one. “according to https://www.giants.com/news/instant-analysis-giants-fall-to-falcons-23-20

*Aldrick Rosas, who missed his first field goal attempt last week, made both his attempts on Monday night from 31 and 36 yards. He is now 15-for-16 on the season. “according to https://www.giants.com/news/instant-analysis-giants-fall-to-falcons-23-20

INJURY REPORT: CB Eli Apple (ankle, returned) “according to https://www.giants.com/news/instant-analysis-giants-fall-to-falcons-23-20

INACTIVES: NYG – RG Patrick Omameh (knee), WR/KR Jawill Davis (concussion), WR/KR Russell Shepard (neck), QB Kyle Lauletta, S Kamrin Moore, CB Mike Jordan, DT John Jenkins. ATL – K Matt Bryant (right hamstring), RB Brian Hill, CB Blidi Wreh-Wilson, DE Steven Means, G Zac Kerin, OT Matt Gono, DT Michael Bennett. “according to https://www.giants.com/news/instant-analysis-giants-fall-to-falcons-23-20

LINEUP CHANGES: NYG – John Greco for Omameh at RG, Spencer Pulley for Greco at C. ATL -- 4 Giorgio Tavecchio for Bryant at K. “according to https://www.giants.com/news/instant-analysis-giants-fall-to-falcons-23-20

Unlike New York who lost their previous game, Washington won against a division opponent last Sunday as they defeated Dallas.

After Washington forced Dallas to go three-and-out on their first drive, they got the ball back and went on a 52-yard scoring drive, culminating in a 23-yard touchdown by Kapri Bibbs on a screen play. “according to https://www.redskins.com/news/redskins-take-on-the-cowboys-in-week-7-matchup

On their second drive, the Cowboys went for it on fourth-and-one with a quarterback sneak, but D.J. Swearinger Sr. forced a fumble and recovered it himself, giving the Redskins the ball on the Dallas 45-yard line. “according to https://www.redskins.com/news/redskins-take-on-the-cowboys-in-week-7-matchup

After both teams traded punts, Dallas had a third-and-20 from deep in their own territory when Jonathan Allen sacked Prescott for an eight-yard loss, forcing another punt. “according to https://www.redskins.com/news/redskins-take-on-the-cowboys-in-week-7-matchup

The Cowboys later scored on a 49-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Michael Gallup to tie the game 7-7 with a 1:00 left in the first half. The score would remain the same heading into halftime. “according to https://www.redskins.com/news/redskins-take-on-the-cowboys-in-week-7-matchup

Running back Adrian Peterson got things going to open up the second half for the Redskins' offense. On the first drive of the third quarter, Peterson took the handoff and bounced to the outside for a 23-yard gain. “according to https://www.redskins.com/news/redskins-take-on-the-cowboys-in-week-7-matchup

A few plays later, a 27-yard catch-and-run from Jordan Reed would set Washington up with a chance to score, moving the offense deep into Dallas territory. “according to https://www.redskins.com/news/redskins-take-on-the-cowboys-in-week-7-matchup

However, after failing to find the end zone, Washington settled for a 21-yard field goal from kicker Dustin Hopkins. The kick gave the Redskins a 10-7 lead over Dallas early in the third quarter. “according to https://www.redskins.com/news/redskins-take-on-the-cowboys-in-week-7-matchup

After a drive in which the Redskins offense stalled and was forced to punt, the Cowboys took over deep in their own territory. Things did not get easier for the Dallas offense, as linebacker Ryan Kerrigan came through with a big sack of first down. The sack resulted in a loss of six yards, and Dallas would later have to punt the ball back to Washington. “according to https://www.redskins.com/news/redskins-take-on-the-cowboys-in-week-7-matchup

With the Redskins back in possession after the defensive stop, the offense began working toward a scoring drive. Adrian Peterson helped guide the offense down the field, breaking off a few nice runs including a 20-yard scamper that put the Redskins in the end zone. “according to https://www.redskins.com/news/redskins-take-on-the-cowboys-in-week-7-matchup

Much like the Redskins last scoring drive, the series culminated in a field goal by Hopkins. This time a 25-yard kick that put Washington up 13-7. “according to https://www.redskins.com/news/redskins-take-on-the-cowboys-in-week-7-ma

Following a field goal by Dallas and a punt by the Redskins, the Cowboys offense regained possession of the ball trailing just 13-10 in the fourth quarter. With Dallas backed up near their own end zone, the Redskins defense was looking for one big stop to help maintain the lead. They went above and beyond, as Ryan Kerrigan came up with a huge strip sack on third down. With the ball loose, linebacker Preston Smith scooped it up and waltzed into the end zone for a defensive touchdown, giving Washington a 20-10 lead. The sack was Kerrigan's second of the game, and the touchdown was the first of Smith's career. “according to https://www.redskins.com/news/redskins-take-on-the-cowboys-in-week-7-matchup

A Dallas touchdown followed by a defensive stop set the Cowboys up with one final chance to send the game into overtime. Trailing 20-17, kicker Brett Maher lined up for a 52-yard field goal attempt. The kick would hit off the upright, giving the Redskins the thrilling win. “according to https://www.redskins.com/news/redskins-take-on-the-cowboys-in-week-7-matchup

Kick-off is set for 1:00pm from Metlife Stadium. The game will be televised on Fox. “according to https://www.giants.com/schedule/