Giants Open as Slim Favorites vs. Commanders

Even with a strong lead in the NFC East there is no doubt that John Harbaugh’s team will be hungry to make up for the extra win that got away and put the Commanders’ season to rest with a convincing performance under the bright lights.

That said, it’s easy to see why betting outlets still hesitate to back the Giants fully. They are playing on a very short week, and the lack of extra recovery time can sometimes take a toll on players’ performance and possibly swing the game the other way if fatigue leads to untimely mistakes.

More importantly, the Giants left Philadelphia with some slight concern about J.J. McCarthy, who suffered a hip injury in the third quarter of Sunday’s game that forced him to miss the lone touchdown drive led by Jameis Winston before McCarthy returned on the next possession.

Harbaugh admitted after the game that his starting quarterback was in real pain but said he was confident neither ailment would keep McCarthy sidelined for Washington. The Giants are also expected to have Cam Skattebo back after the team elected to sit him against the Eagles for his hamstring issue and save the running back’s energy for the second game in less than a week.

A fully staffed Giants team still has a lot to improve from their last duel with the Commanders, including slowing down Washington’s run game, which amassed 202 yards on a 6.7-yard average carry, with 103 yards coming from quarterback Jayden Daniels, who produced two touchdowns.

The Giants dominated the run, holding Saquon Barkley to 22 yards on 13 rushing attempts and the Eagles to under 100 yards total, while Philadelphia’s passing attack struggled to pick up the slack amid an eight-sack day from the front seven that forced seven three-and-out drives.

The Commanders’ offense is ravaged by injuries in the receiver room, including the loss of Terry McLaurin to a torn patellar tendon that ended his season as Washington’s main weapon. 

Four other players are also on the team’s injury report, leaving Daniels with limited options if the Giants succeed in taking away the run dimension for a second straight week.

What will be most important for the Giants is using their options to close out the game, unlike what happened in Landover, Maryland, just over a month ago. They showed it against the Texans and Eagles in two huge wins, putting them on the cusp of building an insurmountable lead in the NFC East.

No better opponent to push the cause than a Commanders team that hasn’t learned to do the same since their unforgettable mishap, which might have changed the current landscape of the division and this game at large.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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