Giants, Redskins revved up over battle for first place

Odell Beckham Jr. put up some big numbers last year, but he didn't play in a lot of big games. While he was breaking records for first-year receivers, dazzling everyone with highlight-reel catches and winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, the Giants were a sub-.500 team and out of contention during most of his performances.

This year, Beckham hopes his stage will be equal to his stats.

"I take a lot of pride in myself and what I want to do for the team, same as everybody else should," Beckham said. "We all have pride in our jobs. Hopefully I can take it to another level and finish out the season strong."

That certainly would help the Giants hang on to their first-place status. With six games remaining on the schedule -- including Sunday's game at Washington -- there is a palpable sense of opportunity.

"You can definitely feel it in the atmosphere. It's just buzzing around us," Beckham said. "We all have a good feel about it and we're all going to work for it. We know what we have at hand and we know we control our own destiny."

The issue Sunday is that so does the Giants' opponent. Washington is a game behind the Giants would be tied and have a tiebreaker advantage with five games remaining by winning Sunday. That two teams without a winning record find themselves squaring off for first place this late in the season speaks to the state of the division.

"I know it's been a rough year for us, we all know that, and for the whole NFC East," Washington receiver DeSean Jackson said. "But we have a chance to do something special."

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The Giants have won five straight against Washington, adding to the intensity of the matchup.

"This is special," Washington coach Jay Gruden said. "One, because it's a division game. Two, because it's the New York Giants. And three, it's for first place. There are a lot of reasons this game is special to a lot of people here, and it doesn't have as much to do with first place as it does because it's the New York Giants, and it's a rivalry game, and they beat us the last three times [since Gruden became head coach]."

Both sides agree on the significance.

"This game against Washington is the most important game of the year for us," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "The cry for our team has been not only to improve the level of execution but our concentration. It means no split focus. It's the next play, it's the next play. Don't worry about the result; I'll let you know what that is.

"Get your responsibilities, let your eyes instinctively indicate to you or give you some kind of range about what's next, what's coming, so that you can line up and be your best on that particular play."

Beckham, like many of the young Giants players, has never been through this kind of playoff push, so there's really no telling how they will respond.

"I think as you get late in the season, just make sure they're staying focused and keep paying attention to the small things, the small details, and don't forget everything that you relied on that's been working for you," Eli Manning said of the key to counting on inexperienced players in a playoff push. "I think just enjoy the opportunity that we're in and at this point, if you are a rookie, you're not a rookie anymore. If you played in enough games and you've been through the season, you need those young guys to step up and play well for you."

Beckham said at the beginning of the season that he would trade statistical accomplishments for a chance to get into the playoffs and contend for a Super Bowl. Now he's here at the crossroads, and there's a good chance the Giants will need every catch and yard he can scrounge up to help put them in the tournament.

"It's just that time of year where everybody needs to step it up, we all need to come to work and bring our A-plus game every single day and it will translate on Sunday," Beckham said. "It's definitely a big game, but we don't really look at it as that. You've just got to come out and give it our best Sunday and hopefully come out with the W."

Richburg out. Starting center Weston Richburg (ankle) was downgraded from doubtful to out and did not travel with the team to Washington Saturday. Linebacker Mark Herzlich (quad) was upgraded from out to questionable and did make the trip.

By Tom Rock

tom.rock@newsday.com@TomRock_Newsday

Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.