The Washington Redskins are preparing to face off against the New York Giants on Thursday Night Football this week and it will be interesting to see how the latest installment of the NFC East rivalry game goes.
Jay Gruden’s offense has been inconsistent this season, but Alfred Morris and Matt Jones caught fire last week. They both had big games in a huge 24-17 win over the St. Louis Rams and will have to step up in a big way once again if the Redskins are going to come away with a victory over the Giants. Washington is definitely coming into the game as major underdogs with Eli Manning and the Giants’ offense clicking on all cylinders last week despite losing to the Atlanta Falcons.
It is never easy to win on the road in the NFL, especially against a team that is much better than the 0-2 record that the Giants currently have.
Jones led the way last week against the Rams with 19 carries for 123 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught three passes for 23 yards for good measure to round out his stat line. Morris carried the football 18 times for 59 yards on the game, but was unable to get into the end zone for the Redskins.
Needless to say, seeing whether or not the running game can come through with a second big week in a row or not will be very interesting. New York doesn’t have the best defensive line, but they are still capable of slowing down any team that they face if they play up to their full potential.
Washington has a choice to make between who will start at the running back position. Jones definitely came through with the bigger game last week and has much more potential to grow into, but Morris is the veteran that has shown a lot of consistency throughout his career. Morris will likely get the start, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Jones get more actual playing time than the established veteran.
No matter who ends up starting, Kirk Cousins isn’t going to be able to win this game by himself. If the ground game can step up once again and figure out how to put up 182 yards and two touchdowns once again they have a very good chance to walk into New York and came away with a 2-1 record.
Expect to see the Redskins’ running backs step up in a big way once again this week and be a huge part of the game plan against the Giants. Morris and Jones will come through with a massive performance on Thursday night and are going to prove why the Redskins are very confident about their rushing attack.
