Giants at Redskins 2017, Week 12: Staff picks, predictions for Thursday night

A winning streak? Will the New York Giants really have one when Thursday night’s game against the Washington Redskins is over? Let’s see what member of the Big Blue View staff believe.

Chris Pflum

For the first time in weeks I actually feel as though a Giants win wouldn't be a surprise.

The Giants will likely miss several big pieces, including Justin Pugh, Sterling Shepard, and D.J. Fluker.

Washington is severely injured, but they are still able to put up points, something the Giants have yet to do (unless you add multiple weeks together). Meanwhile Josh Norman and Breshaud Breeland will likely have good days against the Giants' receivers. However, the Giants' best offensive weapons are their running backs and tight ends, neither of which Washington defends particularly well.

If the Giants' defense is able to play like they did against Kansas City, then the Giants absolutely have a chance.

I've said that I won't pick the Giants to win until they can consistently show that they can do the things needed to win. But I'm going to go with them in this divisional match up.

Final score: Giants 21, Redskins 17

Mike Gallop

I guess the Giants do have some pride, and I think they rally again on Thanksgiving on national TV. Chris Thompson is out with a broken leg, which I think tips the scales as well.

Final score: Giants 24 Redskins 21

Dan Pizzuta

It’s hard to get too excited about last week’s win over Kansas City. For as well as the defense played, there was a lot of the Chiefs falling flat on their own. And even with all that, the offense couldn’t put up points. Somehow the Giants will be more injured heading into this game. Sterling Shepard is likely out again and now D.J. Fluker will miss time. Maybe there’s a bit of a chicken and the egg thing here, but the running game took off when Fluker was inserted in the lineup -- the same time Orleans Darkwa took over as the lead back. In Weeks 1-5, the Giants averaged 1.5 yards per carry behind the right guard. From Weeks 6-11, that jumped up to 4.4. The loss of Fluker, along with Pugh already out on the right side, could seriously set back the running game.

Washington, despite the 4-6 record, has been playing some good football this season -- 13th in DVOA. They lead the league in defensive pressure rate and the secondary has been on track since the return of Josh Norman. If the Giants couldn’t score on the Kansas City defense last week, it’s tough to imagine them doing much against a much better defense in Washington.

Final score: Redskins 28, Giants 13

Valentine’s View

Timing, they say, is everything. In the NFL, when you play a team is often a deciding factor. The Giants happen to be playing the Redskins at a good time.

The Giants are coming off a victory, and in fact are 2-3 in their last five games. After a couple of tumultuous weeks players are feeling better about themselves. The Redskins are a mess. They have lost four of five. The placed four players on injured reserve this week. They have 18 guys on their injury report. When Redskins coach Jay Gruden spoke to New York media this week he sounded like he had no idea who would and would not be able to play.

So, the Giants are playing the Redskins at a good time. This is a winnable game for the Giants. At the risk of having to listen to more complaints about a lower draft position and the possibility of Ben McAdoo returning next season, I think the Giants pull the upset here.

Final score: Giants 20, Redskins 13

Season records:

Chris: 6-4
Dan: 6-4
Ed: 2-8

Mike Gallop and Kevin Haswell have only picked some games. Here is how they have done:

Mike: 3-5
Kevin: 3-5