Giants story lines: Split on 'Skins, McNabb
Donovan McNabb #5 of the Washington Redskins throws a first quarter touchdown pass against the Philadelphia Eagles. (Oct. 3, 2010) Credit: Getty Images
Those who look to the recent past to predict the near future will find themselves at a crossroads Sunday. Are the Giants playing the Redskins? Or are they playing Donovan McNabb?
The Giants have won six of the last seven against the Redskins. But McNabb has beaten the Giants in his last four starts against them, including a playoff game in January 2009. The last time the Giants beat a McNabb-led team was in November 2008. During his streak, the former Eagle has thrown seven TD passes and three interceptions against the Giants.
The return of Ware
Tom Coughlin said he wanted to get D.J. Ware more involved in the offense, and the third-string running back had a few snaps Sunday. But his real contribution was returning kickoffs, replacing injured Will Blackmon.
Ware had a 35-yard return in the first half, the longest by a Giant this season, and he averaged 22.3 yards, but he also left a few yards out there. On the long return, he was tackled in the open field one-on-one by the kicker. And he took the wrong lane on a fourth-quarter runback. Still, it was a promising performance in an area in which the Giants have struggled.
"Ware had a really nice return that perhaps could've been even better, and then one later on that also could've been a little bit better," Coughlin said. "Actually, it was well blocked. I was really glad to see that."
Giants tops in pass 'D'
The last time the Giants led the NFL in pass defense, they didn't win the Super Bowl. That's because there wasn't one.
In 1959, they allowed 151 passing yards per game, the last time they led the league in that stat. But they may be on the verge of breaking the five-decade drought. After allowing 121 passing yards to the Jaguars, the Giants moved from third in the NFL to first with 186.4 passing yards allowed per game. The last time they allowed less than that was in 1991, when they gave up 179.6 for sixth in the NFL.
Making those numbers stand will be a challenge. Four of their five remaining opponents (including the Redskins twice) are among the top 10 passing teams, and all but the Vikings average at least 240 yards per game.
