With today's game against the Philadelphia Eagles now a thing of the past, the Washington Redskins head into a very short week to prepare for their next test within the NFC East.
On Thursday, the Redskins play host to the New York Giants for a primetime matchup at FedExFIeld. Kickoff for the game – which is being televised by CBS – is at 8:25 p.m.
Thursday's game against the Giants will be the 165th all-time meeting between the two teams, including postseason play. The Giants are the Redskins' most common opponent.
New York headed into their 1 p.m. game today against the Houston Texans with an 0-2 record, losing 35-14 to the Detroit Lions in Week 1 and dropping a 25-14 game to the Arizona Cardinals last week.
Entering today's games, the Giants were ranked 30th overall in total offense at 269 yards per game. Their defense, meanwhile, ranked in the middle of the pack at 15th overall, giving up an average of 341.5 yards per game through its first two contents.
Tom Coughlin is back at the helm for the Giants for his 11th season as the team's head coach. Coughlin – who has 18 years of NFL head coaching experience – has led New York to two Super Bowl titles and a 90-70 regular season record throughout his tenure, ranking him second behind Hall of Famer Steven Owen on the franchise's all-time wins list for a head coach.
The 2013 season saw the Giants finish 7-9 and third in the NFC East, marking the first time since Coughlin's first year with team in 2004 that they finished below .500. This Week 4 matchup against the Redskins marks New York's divisional opener.
Quarterback Eli Manning returns for his 11th season under center for the Giants. He's led the franchise to two Super Bowl titles while throwing for 35,785 yards and 232 touchdowns during his career.
The first-overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft, Manning has been known for his late-game heroics, setting an NFL season record in 2011 with 15 fourth-quarter touchdown passes. A three-time Pro Bowler, Manning has started the past 154 games for New York, the most consecutive starts among any active player.
Defensively, the Giants are led this season by safety Antrel Rolle, who is in his fifth season with New York, and 10th overall in the NFL. Rolle, who has led the Giants in tackles two of the past three seasons, has recorded 317 tackles and 11 interceptions in New York. The three-time Pro Bowler has 23 career interceptions, four of which he's returned for a touchdown.
The Redskins are seeking their first Thursday win since Thanksgiving Day 2012 in Dallas. A win against the Giants would be Washington's first non-Thanksgiving Thursday win since defeating the Chicago Bears on Dec. 6, 2007, and would push the franchise's all-time record in Thursday games to 7-8.
The Redskins-Giants game this week will be their third Thursday matchup all-time, including a 13-3 Redskins victory Sept. 16, 1937, and a 16-7 defeat at the hands of the Giants on Sept. 4, 2008.
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