The New York Giants (7-4) host the Washington Commanders (7-5) at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey this Sunday in a clash between two playoff hopefuls.
Here are five things to know about the Week 13 game.
The series
This is the 179th meeting between the two franchises dating back to 1932 when the Commanders were known as the Boston Braves.
The Giants lead the regular-season all-time series, 104-70-4, and hold a 56-30-2 record at home against the Braves/Redskins/Football Team/Commanders.
The Giants have been victorious in five of the last seven meetings between the two teams.
What's at stake?
The Giants are currently the sixth seed in the NFC Playoff picture at 7-4, one game behind Dallas, but have lost twice to them this season, so are unlikely to move up in the seeding any time soon.
The Commanders hold the seventh and last seed in the NFC Playoff picture at 7-5 and play the Giants twice in the next three weeks with their bye sandwiched in next week.
These games obviously have playoff ramifications. A split would keep both in contention. A sweep by one team would jettison them into a solid position in the standings. Getting swept would naturally damage that team’s postseason prospects.
Washington is hot
The Commanders began the season by losing four of their first five games and have won six of their last seven to move into playoff contention. One of those wins was over NFC East leader Philadelphia, their only loss this season to date.
Washington has righted the ship behind a solid defense that is ranked eighth overall in the NFL this season. The other factor is a change at quarterback. Starter Carson Wentz has not played since Week 6 when he fractured a finger on his throwing hand. Backup Taylor Heinicke has stepped in and won five of the last six games, the only loss coming at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings, 20-17, in Week 9.
The Giants are getting healthy
The Giants have traditionally been the walking wounded but are now learning how to deal with injuries. They recently did not have enough healthy players on the active roster to field the 47-man game day roster, dipping into their practice squad to supplement.
Starting right tackle Evan Neal, outside linebacker Azeez Ojualri and tight end Daniel Bellinger could all be out on the field come Sunday.
Some quick hits on the Commanders
The Commanders lead the NFC in 25-yard-plus receptions (22) and lead the NFL in average time of possession (32:45).
The defense has allowed an average of just 248 yards of offense to opponents over the last three weeks and an NFL-leading 291.3 since Week 3.
The Commanders’ defense leads the NFC in third down percentage, allowing opponents a 33.3 success rate.
