The 2008 NFL Season kicks off Thursday night as the Washington Redskins travel to New York to take on the defending Super Bowl champion Giants.
Game Time: 7:00pm ET on NBC
Spread: Giants –4.5
Game Preview:
The Giants that host the Redskins tonight will look quite different from the team that beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl this January. Gone are defensive end Michael Strahan (retired), tight end Jeremy Shockey (trade/Saints) and safety Gibril Wilson (free agent/Raiders). The team also suffered a huge blow when it lost defensive end Osi Umenyiora to a season ending knee injury during preseason. But the offense remains largely intact led by quarterback Eli Manning and a power running game featuring Brandon Jacobs. Even though he complained about his contract much of the offseason, Plaxico Burress also returns to give Manning a deep threat in the passing game.
The Redskins meanwhile, are in a transition phase as head coach Jim Zorn takes over for Joe Gibbs. Zorn will usher in the West Coast Offense and while quarterback Jason Campbell is expected to struggle while learning the nuances of the new system, word out of Washington is that his development has been good up to this point. Campbell will be joined by running back Clinton Portis in the backfield, as well as receiver Santana Moss and tight end Chris Cooley in the passing game. The defense received a much-needed boost in the pass rush department when the team traded for former Dolphins’ defensive end Jason Taylor.
Outlook:
Assuming Taylor can play (he’s listed as questionable), the Redskins will need him and the rest of the front seven to get pressure on Manning. If the Skins can disrupt Manning and the rest of the Giants’ offense, they should be in good shape. The Giants love to use play action fakes to suck opposing safeties to the line and then go over top to Burress and his fellow receivers. As for the Skins offensively, expect Zorn to keep things simple by running Portis and working the short to intermediate passing game so Campbell doesn’t have to win the game on his own. It’ll be interesting to see how effective the Giants’ defense can be without Strahan and Umenyiora on the line. Justin Tuck is an emerging star so he should still be able to get pressure on Campbell, but Mathias Kiwanuka has to make the transition from linebacker back to defensive end and it might take time before he can be disruptive.
Prediction: Giants 17, Redskins 13. Something tells me this will be a low scoring game seeing as how it’s the opener and it’s a division rivalry.
Be sure to check back during the game for discussion and analysis.
