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New York Giants at Washington Redskins NFL Predictions & Betting Odds

Written by Jimmy Boyd

The defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants clearly appear to be the cream of the crop again this season. Each of the last five games the Giants have played have been against teams with winning records, and none of those squads were able to put a tally in New York’s loss column. Odds makers feel the Giants will extend their winning streak to seven games when they take on division rival Washington in Week 13. BetUS has listed the Giants as 3.5-point favorites with the total set at 41.5.

The 10-1 Giants are tied with the AFC’s Tennessee Titans for the best record in the NFL. While New York is known for its ferocious pass rush and its smashmouth running attack, it is quietly the NFL’s highest scoring team. The Giants’ offense has produced a league-high 329 points and appears to be hitting its stride, scoring177 in the first four games of November. While the Giants have a nice lead in the NFC East, the 7-4 Redskins are right in the mix for a wild card berth. Washington will summon the spirit of its former teammate, Sean Taylor, on the one-year anniversary of his death, to help lift the Redskins past the Giants. Taylor was tragically shot in his Florida home last November 26, dying a day later. Washington used that as inspiration to finish 2007 on a four-game winning streak which earned the team a playoff berth.

New York’s latest test was NFC West leading Arizona and the Giants came through with a 37-29 win. While last week’s chore was to stop a potent passing attack, this week the Giants will need to stop Clinton Portis and a strong Redskins running game. Portis leads the league with 1,206 yards rushing, including a 143-yard effort in last week’s 20-17 win at Seattle.

It will be equally important for the Skins to curtail the New York running attack. The Giants lead the NFL with 164.9 rushing yards per game. Last week, they were without bruiser Brandon Jacobs and hope to have him back on the field this week. Jacobs was expected to return to practice Thursday but his status remains uncertain. Wide receiver Plaxico Burress, who caught the game-winning touchdown pass in last season’s Super Bow, is also listed as day-to-day. Washington has some injuries of its own, but they are on the defensive side of the ball. Linebacker London Fletcher, who has started 130 straight games, is battling foot injuries while defensive end Andre Carter and defensive tackles Kedric Golston and Cornelius Griffin also may miss this game. Linebacker Marcus Washington is already sidelined with a sprained ankle. The injuries will likely force coach Jim Zorn to use more nickel packages due to the lack of depth up front. Nickel is not a desired defense for stopping a strong running attack. If you think Washington’s injury problems will give New York’s ground game the edge, bet the Giants at -3.5.

New York and Washington met in the NFL’s first game of the 2008 season with the Giants prevailing 16-7. Each team’s defenses stole the show, with neither team scoring in the second half. This is the first of three straight games against NFC East rivals and you can bet all three teams will be going after the target on New York’s back as the Giants are 3-0 versus the division already this season. If you think Washington can use its home field advantage successfully this week, bet the Redskins at +3.5.

Check out all of the NFL odds each week at Locksmith Sports as well as Jimmy Boyd’s NFL expert picks and his NFL betting articles.

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