TNF Breakdown: Giants And Redskins Play In Thanksgiving's Final Course
By Kevin McGuire
By the time you get to settle in and watch the Washington Redskins and New York Giants on Thursday night, you may be pretty stuffed from a few helpings of turkey and stuffing, and maybe a couple slices of pumpkin pie.
As the post-Thanksgiving stomach gets a break, you can tune in to watch a showdown between two NFC East teams that haven't come close to living up to the hype.
In a game that had all the makings of a potentially pivotal division clash when the NFL schedule was originally unveiled, the Giants find themselves 2-8, while the Redskins are 4-6. Will either team be able to seize the moment Thursday night and gain positive energy heading into the final month of the season?
The Last Time They Met...
This is the first meeting of the season between these longtime rivals. They will play again in Week 17. Last season, they split the season series, with the road team winning each game.
The most recent meeting was on Jan. 1, with New York coming out on top 19-10 to solidify its spot in the NFC playoffs. The last time the home team won in the series was Nov. 29, 2015, when Washington triumphed 20-14.
Injuries piling up for Washington
As if the loss on Sunday to the New Orleans Saints was not enough, the Redskins came home with a few key injuries. Wide receiver Terrelle Pryor was placed on injured reserve after having surgery on his ankle on Monday. But the biggest loss was running back Chris Thompson, who suffered a fractured right fibula that will likely bring his season to a premature end.
Giants Going For Two
To say things have not gone well for the Giants is putting it mildly. Two weeks ago, they became the first team to lose this season to the San Francisco 49ers, and they are now flirting with a potential top-three pick in the 2018 draft.
The Giants, however, are coming into this matchup with a bit of momentum after pulling off a stunner on Sunday by beating the Kansas City Chiefs, who were coming off a bye week.
The question is, can Big Blue win two in a row?
Kirk Cousins: Yule Like That!
Thanksgiving is the gateway to the holiday season, and Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins has just the right holiday sweater for your next ugly sweater party. Playing off his iconic postgame expression from a few years back, Cousins is selling holiday-themed sweatshirts with the phrase "Yule Like That," as seen on The Comeback. We'll see if there's much to like about his team's performance on Thursday night.
Outlook
Despite their struggles this season, the Redskins have remained fairly competitive. In its last two games against Minnesota and New Orleans -- two of the top NFC contenders behind Philadelphia -- Washington has lost by a combined 11 points.
The same cannot be said for the Giants, and that's including their surprising win last week. The way I see it is Eli Manning will fail to make nearly enough plays and the Redskins will ride Cousins to a home win.
Kevin McGuire is a Philadelphia area sports writer and college football editor for The Comeback and host of the No 2-Minute Warning Podcast. Follow McGuire on Twitter and like him on Facebook.