Giants vs. Redskins: Spread Info, Line and Predictions

Fans of the New York Giants (7-4) and the Washington Redskins (5-6) will be hearing an awful lot of ranting and raving from John Gruden on Monday night.

In what promises to be one of the most thrilling Monday Night Football games of the 2012 season, Robert Griffin III and his hot hand will host the defending Super Bowl champs in an NFC East battle on national television.

RGIII and the 'Skins are coming off a Thanksgiving Day massacre over the Dallas Cowboys while the G-Men enter this one having dismantled Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in Week 12.

With Washington in the thick of the playoff hunt and New York holding the keys to the division, there's a lot at stake on Monday night.

Here's everything you need to know for Monday Night Football in Week 13.

Where: FedEx Field, Landover, MD 

When: Monday, Dec. 3 at 8:30 p.m. ET

Watch: ESPN

Stream: WatchESPN

Spread: Redskins (+2.5) via Bet Online

It took a late fourth-quarter touchdown for the Giants to overcome the Redskins in Week 7 and I'm expecting another close, high-scoring game between these two.

Despite the exceptional play of RGIII the last two weeks (which we'll get into later), I'm picking the Giants to cover the spread. Coming off a dominant defensive performance against Rodgers and the Pack, I like Big Blue to bring that energy to FedEx Field and cover.

Over/Under: 51 (Bet Online)

I like the over here.

Both offenses are coming off of high-scoring weeks and combined for 50 points in that Week 7 matchup.

With Eli Manning and Griffin both slingin' it of late, the over is looking better and better, especially when you factor in Washington's poor pass defense.

Key Injuries:

Giants (via USA Today):

S Kenny Phillips—Knee—PRB

T David Diehl—Neck—QST

WR Domenik Hixon—Ankle—QST

LB Jacquian Williams—Knee—QST

Redskins (via USA Today):

T Trent Williams—Thigh—PRB

LB London Fletcher—Ankle—PRB

DE Doug Worthington—Calf—QST

T Jammal Brown—Hip—QST

Fantasy Big Plays

Giants: Victor Cruz

After three mediocre weeks, Cruz found the end zone against Green Bay and has himself a great matchup against Washington's defense in Week 13.

Not only does Washington allow the second-most yards to receivers and find themselves tied for dead last in receiving touchdowns allowed, but the Redskins surrendered a monster day to Cruz in Week 7, as the Giants wideout salsaed his way to seven receptions, 131 yards and a game-winning touchdown, as you can see in the video above (h/t YouTube).

With Manning and the Giants offense looking like their old selves last weekend, Cruz should be a big part of the mix on Monday night.

Redskins: Robert Griffin III

You deserve to be slapped if you own RGIII and don't start him in Week 13.

Granted, he's playing against a vicious Giants defense that manhandled Rodgers last week, but the dude's been on a straight tear the past two games.

In the past two weeks, Griffin has thrown for 504 yards and eight touchdowns, making him an absolute fantasy stud.

Griffin had two passing touchdowns and 89 rushing yards against Big Blue earlier in the season, and playing at home in Week 13, RGIII is poised to put up more big numbers for your fantasy team.

Keys to Giants Win: Active New York Linebackers

Against a mobile quarterback like Griffin, linebacker play is huge.

The Giants have an active linebacking corp led by Chase Blackburn, and they'll need to utilize it when RGIII gets outside the pocket and makes his decision to throw or run.

Those LBs helped keep Griffin in check earlier in the season, as he was sacked three times by the Giants defensive line after solid coverage by the Giants linebackers forced him to hold the ball longer.

Overall, New York's defense is the key against RGIII and the Redskins.

Keys to Redskins Win: Roll RGIII Out of the Pocket

Pocket-passing quarterbacks usually don't fare too well against the Giants defensive line—just ask Rodgers.

That said, Washington needs to roll RGIII out of the pocket and get him in space to be successful against the G-Men. While the Giants have had Michael Vick's number at times, they're often unable to sack him and tackle him for a loss because he's so elusive out in space; the same goes for RGIII.

The more open field Griffin has in front of him, the more dangerous he can be, either finding a window to throw or a lane to run through.

Prediction: Giants 28, Redskins 24

Monday Night Football will see another classic game between these two NFC East rivals, with the Giants again coming out on top.

It'll be a high-scoring game with a lot of big plays through the air, but the Giants defense makes the difference in this one.

For more information on this game, click here.

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