Washington @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 1, 2013 ) N.Y. Giants 24, Washington 17

The New York Giants and the Washington Redskins each began the season with realistic expectations of making a playoff run based on their success in the recent past. Instead, both teams are guaranteed a losing season and the Redskins will be attempting to snap a seven-game slide when they visit the Giants in the season finale on Sunday. Both clubs can point to issues at the starting quarterback position, where Kirk Cousins will again replace Robert Griffin III for Washington.

Eli Manning owns a pair of Super Bowl MVP awards for the Giants but is suffering through the worst regular season of his career with 17 touchdowns, 26 interceptions and seven fumbles. He overcame a five-INT disaster in a loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 15 to throw for 256 yards and one pick in an overtime victory last week but is not used to playing December football that has no playoff impact. “Obviously it’s not the scenario you want, but it is what it is,” Manning said. “This is where we are right now and you try to make the best of it.”

TV: 1 p.m. ET, Fox. LINE: Giants -3.5. O/U: 45.5.

ABOUT THE REDSKINS (3-12): There has been plenty of speculation about the future of coach Mike Shanahan, who made the controversial decision to sit Griffin in order to protect the health of the second-year starter before Week 15. Griffin was sacked five times in a 24-17 loss to New York on Dec.1, and five more times the next week in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs before Cousins took over. Cousins has put the team in position to win in the fourth quarter of each of the last two games only to fall short. “I like to think with a little bit more experience, those will be wins in the future,” Cousins said.

ABOUT THE GIANTS (6-9): New York and Washington are the last two champions of the NFC East, and the Giants are two-time Super Bowl winners in the recent past, but are already in evaluation mode for next season. “It speaks to what the NFL is all about in terms of the parity issues that we continuously operate under and the fact that you have from year to year things happen and teams can play well,” New York coach Tom Coughlin said. Coughlin’s team had what looked like two different seasons in one during 2013 and can finish 7-3 in the final 10 games after dropping six straight out of the gate.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Redskins LB London Fletcher could be playing the final game of his career while extending his NFL record for linebackers to 256 straight games played.

2. Giants WR Victor Cruz (knee) is expected to miss the game.

3. Washington RB Alfred Morris has gone over 100 yards in each of his first three career games against New York.

PREDICTION: Giants 28, Redskins 27