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(Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

The New York Giants will look to sweep the season series from Washington for the second year in a row on Sunday.

Jason Leach

The New York Giants and Washington will meet for the 176th time on Sunday with the Giants holding a 103-68-4 edge in this rivalry. Big Blue has won the last four matchups including their Week 6 20-19 victory this season.

Sunday’s matchup is expected to be another close and tight fought game. Here’s what you’ll need to watch for when these two rivals take the field on Sunday.

We will see more innovative/trick plays from the offense?

Last week against the Buccaneers the Giants offense had a little razzle-dazzle which included Daniel Jones lateralling the ball to Golden Tate, who then threw a pass to Wayne Gallman.

Daring and innovative play calling is what Giants fans were hoping to see from Jason Garrett. Garrett will need to keep dialing up innovative plays and not be predictable against a Washington defense that’s giving up just 309 yards of offense a game.

How will the offensive line hold up against Washington’s front seven?

Last week against the Buccaneers, the Giants offense offensive line played much better than expected against one of the best defensive fronts in football. Much of the credit went to the play of Shane Lemieux who made his first start and fellow rookie Matt Peart.

The line will have another tough matchup against Washington’s front seven that consists of Montez Sweat, Daron Payne, and rookie Chase Young.  Washington’s defense has 22 sacks on the season, but in the Week 6 matchup, Washington sacked Daniel Jones only once.

Whoever wins the battle of the line of scrimmage between the Giants offensive line and Washington’s front seven could determine the outcome.

Will the Giants let Wayne Gallman be the workhorse?

Gallman has been effective this season when he’s gotten his opportunity as he’s averaging 4.2 yards per carry this season. The problem is he’s never had more than 12 carries in any game this season and that was last week against Tampa.

Devonta Freeman will miss his second consecutive game on Sunday due to his sprained ankle. Will Jason Garrett give Gallman 15-20 carries a vulnerable Washington run defense that’s giving up 123 yards per game on the ground.

Will the defense hold strong at the end of the half and game?

After years of being at the bottom of most defensive categories, the Giants have exceeded expectations under defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. The defense is giving up 354.8 yards per game which 13th in the NFL and they’ve sacked opposing quarterbacks 20 times.

But there is one area where the defense continues to struggle and that’s at the end of half and games. For whatever reason Giants defense falters at the end of the first half, and at the end of the fourth quarter.

This occurred in the earlier matchup this year between these two teams as Washington touchdowns with 13 seconds remaining in the first half, and with 36 remaining in the game. The defense can’t afford any lapses on Sunday or else it will come back to bite them.

 Can Daniel Jones go a game without turning the ball over?

The biggest concern for the Giants and their fans is the fact that Jones continues to turn the ball over at an alarming rate. He’s turned the ball over at least once in every game this season, and his two interceptions last week were converted into 10 points for the Buccaneers.

Eventually, Jones will have to fix his turnover woes or else he may find himself on the bench. Jones needs to finally show that he can smart in his decision making and not turn the ball over. If Jones doesn’t turn the ball over it will bode well for the Giants chances of winning.

Prediction: Perhaps the biggest difference of these two teams is the Giants have Daniel Jones as their quarterback, and Washington has Kyle Allen. While Jones has his turn over issues, he’s more talented than Allen. Both defenses will play well, but Jones and the Giants offense will make more plays on Sunday. Giants 23, Washington 19.

Jason's first love was football while growing up in northern New Jersey. For the past three years, he has covered the New York Giants, as well as several boxing events along the East Coast.