New York Giants Week 18 Opponent First Look: Washington Offense

The Giants last saw the Washington Football Team in Week 2 of the season. Let's see how much the offensive side of the ball has changed since then.

The New York Giants Week 2 Thursday Night Football debacle seems like an eternity ago. The Giants disappointingly lost 30-29 with some bizarre variables, including Dexter Lawrence ostensibly jumping offsides during a Dustin Hopkins missed kick, giving the kicker another shot to win the game, which he obliged.

The season didn’t get much better for the Giants, who are now 4-12. In the middle of the season, Washington had a solid four-game winning streak but lost the last four games, none more embarrassingly than Week 16’s 56-14 blowout against the Dallas Cowboys.

Washington currently ranks 22nd in the NFL in scoring. They average 19.6 points per game. They rank 20th in yards per game with an average of 323.6 yards per game. In terms of rushing the football, they rush for 114 yards per game, ranking 13th in the NFL, and they pass for 208 yards per game, ranking 20th in the NFL.

Quarterback

Quarterback Taylor Heinicke had an up and down season. He was just activated off the COVID-19 list after Garrett Gilbert was forced to start for Washington in Week 15. 

The Football Team has been in flux offensively with no true identity. Rumors were pitched around that backup Kyle Allen would possibly start over Heinicke before COVID-19 plagued the quarterback room and led to absences for both Heinicke and Allen.

Heinicke has thrown for 3,299 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions this season. He is a gunslinger who can be careless with the football. A slightly undersized quarterback with an average arm made enough throws to defeat the Giants in week two and gave the game to the Giants on a silver platter by throwing a terrible interception late in the fourth quarter to James Bradberry.

Luckily for Heinicke and the Football Team, the Giants are very conservative and did nothing but force some timeouts and kick a field goal, allowing the Football Team to still win the game. Heinicke should be the starter; if Ron Rivera decides to go in another direction, Kyle Allen would be the option.

The Giants played Allen twice in 2020. They defeated him in Week 6 and then injured him in week nine when Jabrill Peppers sacked him, breaking the 25-year-old’s leg. Allen is another replacement type of quarterback who can keep Washington on script but doesn’t have difference-making physical ability.

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Running Backs

Washington's duo of Antonio Gibson and third-down specialist J.D. McKissic is a dynamic duo who are both out on I.R. Their absence hamstrung the Washington rushing attack, but Jaret Patterson has proven he belongs in the NFL. 

The rookie out of Buffalo stepped into Gibson’s role and rushed for 58 yards and a touchdown, for a 4.8 yards per carry average last week against Philadelphia. He’s stout at 5’9" and 195 pounds, and he runs with authority. He also had five catches for 41 yards last week, so he’s a threat through the air.

The Football Team will also use former Eagle Wendell Smallwood and Jonathan Williams in a rotation behind Patterson. The two veterans played a collective seven snaps last week, receiving six carries between them. 

Williams is a bit more of a power back than Smallwood, but it will be the Patterson show against the Giants in a game where Washington will attempt to establish the run.

Wide Receivers

Many hope and wish that Terry McLaurin will play in a better offense to maximize his skill-set because that’s not happening this season. He has 960 yards and 73 catches on 131 targets with five touchdowns. But, with a good quarterback, McLaurin has the talent to be a top-five receiver in the league.

McLaurin is a smooth route runner who combines explosiveness with impressive tracking ability. He's got speed and can defeat defenders at all three levels of the field. 

He put his skills on full display against the Giants in week two. Cornerback James Bradberry and McLaurin went back and forth on many plays, McLaurin winning a fair share of them, including a touchdown slant in the red zone. The McLaurin/Bradberry matchup should continue in week 18 at MetLife Stadium.

Another off-season signing is slot receiver Adam Humphries, best known for crisp savvy route running in the short to intermediate parts of the field. I expect offensive coordinator Scott Turner to attempt and match up Humphries with Crowder rather than Jaylon Smith in the middle of the field. 

Turner made a point to isolate Crowder against J.D. McKissic in Week 2 it was one reason they won the football game. Humphries has 380 yards receiving on 40 catches (59 targets) with no touchdowns. Humphries will more than likely see a lot of Aaron Robinson.

Many expected the true second receiver in this offense to be Curtis Samuel, a player Rivera coached in Carolina that signed a lucrative contract this offseason. Sadly, Samuel has dealt with a terrible groin injury and has hardly seen the field. 

DeAndre Carter seized the opportunity and proved his worth as a football player. Carter has 24 catches on 40 targets for 296 yards and three touchdowns this season. He’s only 5’8" and 190 pounds, but he’s explosive and a nice rotational piece to have in a receiver room.

Rookie Dyami Brown is a dangerous deep threat who showcased only a few routes in Phil Longo's system at UNC. However, he has the fluidity and footwork to run many routes. Brown has 12 catches on 24 targets for 165 yards this year.

Tight Ends

Washington runs a lot of 11-personnel, and their primary tight end was quarterback convert Logan Thomas. Unfortunately, he’s out for the season, opening up an opportunity for Ricky Seals-Jones, who the Giants know too well from their first matchup. 

In the second half on Washington's two-play drive, Seal-Jones caught the critical touchdown over Adoree Jackson. He is another very big body with good ball skills. Seals-Jones is a solid blocker, as is rookie out of Boise State Johnny Bates.

Bates and Seals-Jones snap share are more aligned since Seals-Jones returned from his injury a few weeks ago. Bates has 22 targets on the season, catching 19 balls for 244 yards and one touchdown. Seals-Jones has 30 catches on 46 targets for 271 yards and two touchdowns.

Offensive Line

Charles Leno Jr. and Cornelius Lucas are the current starting tackles, with Leno Jr manning the left side. Samuel Cosmi is injured, and the Football Team has been forced to reshuffle their line a bit. Leno Jr. has allowed 36 pressures on the year, 23 hurries, and six sacks. Lucas, in limited snaps, allowed 25 pressures and three sacks.

The guards are former Giants' first-round selection Ereck Flowers and Pro Bowler Brandon Scherff. Flowers' deficiencies are masked by playing inside--he's rarely on an island. Flowers is naturally better as a guard than he ever would have been as a tackle. 

He's still lumbering, has questionable footwork, and an inaccurate punch, but he's very large and athletic enough to have success on the inside. According to PFF, Flowers has allowed 23 pressures, four sacks, and grades solidly with his pass blocking ability.

Scherff has been one of the better interior offensive linemen in the league. He is a smooth pass protector that plays with a low center of gravity while framing his blocks well and utilizing a good anchor. 

He's also skillful as a run blocker. He is the offensive line anchor, next to an up-and-coming talented center. Scherff has allowed 16 pressures, 15 hurries, and zero sacks this season.

Chase Roullier earned a four-year, $40 million contract in the off-season. His name isn't flashy, but he's always in a good position and is competent as a run and pass blocker. He is injured and has been relieved by Keith Ismael. The former San Diego State Aztec has allowed only 12 pressures and three sacks in 194 pass blocking reps.

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