Redskins are Slight NFL Betting Favorites in Week 17 vs. Giants

I’m trying to find an interesting angle to preview this game – but there simply isn’t one. Both NFC East teams had hugely disappointing seasons, are playing out the string and likely to look very different next season. The Skins are short road NFL betting favorites.

Washington at NY Giants Week 17 Odds & NFL Betting Pick

Preparing for the Giants & #WASvsNYG. 📷: https://t.co/c6MLfE823i pic.twitter.com/wdYwzRtO3S
— Washington Redskins (@Redskins) December 28, 2017

When: Sunday, 1 PM ET Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford TV: Fox Radio: WTEM 980 AM (Washington) / WFAN 660 AM (NY) Opening NFL Betting Lines: Redskins -3.5 (37.5)

Last Meeting

On Thanksgiving Night, the Redskins beat the Giants 20-10 in a very drab game. The teams combined for more punts (nine) than points (six) in the first half, which ended 3-all on a pair of short field goals — from 30 yards by New York’s Aldrick Rosas, and 28 by Washington’s Nick Rose. Kirk Cousins threw two second-half TDs, to Jamison Crowder on a 15-yard pass in the third quarter that broke a 3-all tie, and with Josh Doctson on a 14-yarder with 3 1/2 minutes remaining in the game. Eli Manning was 13 for 27 for 113 yards.

Why Bet on Washington?

Could this be the final game in a Redskins uniform for Kirk Cousins? He could be headed to free agency. Cousins hasn’t ever won the final game of a season with the Redskins. Cousins is eighth in completion percentage (65.0), seventh in passing yardage (3,935) and sixth in both touchdown passes (27) and passer rating (98.5). It could also be the finale for Coach Jay Gruden, who is probably 50-50 to be fired. Skins WR Josh Doctson only appeared in two games during his 2016 rookie season as he was beset by Achilles issues that eventually ended his season with a placement on Injured Reserve. Doctson, however, has played in all 15 games so far in his second season with Washington, recording 31 receptions for 465 yards and a team-high six touchdowns. He has been a rare bright spot. Doctson is still looking for his first 100-yard game, though.

How Has the Defense Been This Season?

Washington’s defense has been playing well in recent weeks, holding the Cardinals without a touchdown in Week 15 and not allowing a touchdown to the Broncos in Week 16 until the final two minutes of the game. In all, the Redskins compiled a touchdown-free streak spanning 139 minutes and 59 seconds of game play, dating back to the third quarter of the team’s Week 14 game against the Chargers. With two more sacks by Preston Smith this week, Ryan Kerrigan and Smith can become the Redskins’ first duo with 10.0 sacks each since Andre Carter and Brian Orakpo in 2009. The Redskins will close the regular season against an NFC East opponent for an eighth consecutive season, the longest such stretch in team history. The Redskins are 46-37-2 all-time in regular season finales. Following a 29-27 road win against the Giants last season, the Redskins are seeking consecutive road wins against the Giants for the first time since the 1999-2000 seasons. The Redskins’ win at MetLife Stadium last season was the team’s first victory at the facility since a 23-10 win against the eventual Super Bowl Champion Giants there on Dec. 18, 2011. The Giants are 1-6 straight-up at MetLife Stadium and just 2-5 ATS, which is tied for the worst mark in the NFL. The Redskins have won three of four in this series.

Why Bet on NY Giants?

The 2-13 Giants have set the franchise record for most losses in a single season. This meaningless game does have a major draft implication for the Giants: If they lose, they clinch the second overall pick. Speaking of a first-round pick, the Giants have again suspended their 2016 one, cornerback Eli Apple – he’s clearly not going to be with the team in 2017. Apple played in 11 games this season with seven starts. He had 49 tackles (41 solo) and eight passes defensed. But he has been called a locker-room cancer and was inactive for four consecutive games from Nov. 19 to Dec. 10. The guy who called Apple a cancer this week, Pro Bowl safety Landon Collins, won’t play as he was put on the injured reserve list with a fractured forearm that he suffered in the second quarter of the Giants’ 23-0 loss in Arizona last week. Middle linebacker B.J. Goodson (ankle) joined him on Wednesday, bringing the Giants’ total number of players on injured reserve to 21. Collins, who will finish as the team’s leading tackler for the third year in a row, had never missed a start in his three-year career. The Giants and Redskins share the same problem on defense: big plays. They are tied for the sixth-most passes of 20 yards allowed with 53 on the season

Who Else is Out of the Squad?

New York also could be without its current No. 1 tight end in Evan Engram and top receiver in Sterling Shepard. They both left last week’s loss in Arizona with injuries. Engram left in the first half with a rib injury, still needing 11 more catches to break the record for most receptions by a tight end in Giants history (Jeremy Shockey had 74 in 2002). Giants interim coach Steve Spagnuolo plans on Eli Manning taking “every snap” in Week 17, but it could be Manning’s finale in a Giants uniform. Manning, who will tie Michael Strahan for most regular-season games played in a Giants uniform (216), has started the past three games since Geno Smith got the nod in Week 13 in Oakland. Rookie Davis Webb will be the No. 2 QB for the first time this season and could see some action. In limited preseason action, Webb completed 18 of 34 passes for 190 yards.