New York Giants at Washington Redskins
Sunday, 9/11/11, 4:15 PM EST, TV: FOX
Opening Point Spread: NY Giants -3
Current Betting Line: NY Giants -3
Opening Total: 40
Current Total: 38
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
The Washington Redskins will have a fresh start on Sunday when they host the New York Giants in what should be one of the more memorable games that will be played on the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. America will be watching the nation’s capital, and everybody inside FedExField will honor those who lost their lives on that fateful day.
The Redskins are hoping they got rid of the baggage that held them back last year when they finished a disappointing 6-10 in head coach Mike Shanahan’s first year with the team. Gone are troubled defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth and quarterback Donovan McNabb, who Shanahan acquired from Philadelphia prior to last season.
With McNabb now playing in Minnesota, journeyman Rex Grossman takes over under center after beating out John Beck for the starting job in the preseason. Grossman took Chicago to the Super Bowl five years ago as the starter and has been relegated to reserve duty for the most part since then. He looked solid at times during the preseason and also performed well in relief of McNabb last year.
Meanwhile, the Giants (-3, O/U 38) will be trying to beat Washington for a seventh straight time, with their last loss in the series coming back in 2007. The only thing preventing that from happening could be injuries, as New York enters the 2011 season much like they did last year when they finished 10-6 and barely missed the playoffs.
New York middle linebacker Jonathan Goff was lost for the season when he suffered a torn ACL in Monday’s practice, becoming the fifth defensive player to be ruled out for the year. Other key players who are out temporarily and will miss this game inlcude defensive end Osi Umenyiora (knee surgery) and rookie cornerback Prince Amukamara (broken foot). Defensive end Justin Tuck (neck) returned to practice on Friday and hopes to be putting pressure on Grossman in the season opener.
Offensively, the Giants will be leaning on their strong running game and the passing of quarterback Eli Manning in what could be a shootout. Running backs Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs led the NFC’s second-best rushing attack last year with 137.5 yards per game. Manning will take over for his brother Peyton as the QB with the longest active streak for consecutive games played with 104 when he suits up on Sunday.
The Redskins have been dominated for the most part during their six-game series skid against New York but did cover the spread in the last meeting back on January 11. The Giants had gone 5-0-1 against the spread in the previous six games between the teams, and the UNDER is 6-2 in the past eight meetings.
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