Giants vs. Redskins: What to watch on Monday

Here is a look at a few things to watch Monday night when the New York Giants face the Washington Redskins.

How will the Giants defend the Redskins?

We have talked over the past few days about how the Redskins torched the Giants' defense for 480 total yards in their first meeting. The Giants had no answers for the running of Alfred Morris, or the running and throwing of Robert Griffin III. Tom Coughlin promised tweaks to the Giants' defensive scheme, and it will be interesting to see what the Giants do.

You can be certain that the three-safety alignment, not available to the Giants in the first game with Kenny Phillips out, will be big part of the plan. How they deploy the line and linebackers, and whether they choose to go with a lot of man-to-man with press coverage on the outside (my preference) or play more zone looks will be worth watching.

One thing we know for sure. The Giants got four turnovers from Washington the first time, and they can't count on that being their only weapon again.

Will the Giants trust David Wilson?

The reality is they absolutely have to. When Andre Brown went out earlier in the season for two games Ahmad Bradshaw played nearly every snap, carried 57 times, played great -- and hasn't been healthy since.

Whether they feel comfortable or not, Coughlin and offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride have got to use Wilson -- and eventually either Kregg Lumpkin or Ryan Torain -- enough that Bradshaw manages to stay in one piece the rest of the season.

Can the Giants avoid a stumble?

This is, really, the big question. The stage is set for the Giants to take total command of the NFC East, but the Giants have a long history of never making things easy on themselves. Let's see if they can avoid making the rest of the season more difficult than it needs to be by winning on Monday night.