|
 New York was awful and seemingly disinterested two weeks ago in a
home loss to Seattle. But the Giants responded nicely in winning at
Detroit to knock the Lions from postseason contention. Many Giants
cited their respect for Coughlin, who has won two Super Bowls with
them but also has had non-playoff finishes in five seasons at the
helm.
"I'm looking ahead," defensive leader Justin Tuck said. "Anytime you
go into a season like this, you always take time out at the end of
the year to go over the goods, the bads and the ugly. I'm looking
forward to getting back to the top of the heap.
"You have to shift your focus to thinking about what next year can
be because, obviously, this year is kind of a lost cause. Again,
we've got one more game to go, and we're going to go out there and
play it just as if we were a playoff team and needed the win." Even if the Redskins (No. 31, AP Pro32) can beat the Giants (No. 24,
AP Pro32), who are favored by 3½ points at the Meadowlands, it
figures to mean little for Shanahan. Given Washington's collapse
from division champion to 3-12, criticism of the coach's handling of
quarterback Robert Griffin III, and the fact Shanahan is 24-40 in
charge in D.C., well, not even a rout of the Giants might matter.
"We've got a very mature football team and guys are taking care of
business the last couple of weeks," says Shanahan, whose team has
dropped seven in a row. "It's no different. I like the way they
handle themselves. I like the way they prepare. This week will be no
different." As far as the Redskins losing again, Shanahan is correct.
BEST BET: GIANTS, 24-16 ___ No. 3 San Francisco (plus 3) at No. 10 Arizona
Niners still thinking they can steal NFC West.
UPSET SPECIAL: 49ers, 20-19 ___
[to top of second column] |
No. 19 St. Louis (plus 10½) at No. 1 Seattle
But Seahawks hold on in NFL's best division.
SEAHAWKS, 21-13 ___
No. 11 Philadelphia (minus 7) at No. 16 Dallas
Wherefore art thou, Romo? Not in the playoffs.
EAGLES, 28-23 ___
No. 21 New York Jets (plus 6½) at No. 15 Miami
Dolphins grab the final AFC wild-card spot.
DOLPHINS, 17-13 ___
No. 13 Baltimore (plus 6) at No. 6 Cincinnati
Defending champions don't even get to postseason.
BENGALS, 17-14 ___
No. 4 Carolina (minus 8) at No. 25 Atlanta
From also-ran in 2012 to first-round bye and division crown for
...
PANTHERS, 27-20 ___
No. 26 Tampa Bay (plus 12½) at No. 9 New Orleans
Saints don't lose at home, where they won't get to stay in
playoffs. [Associated
Press]
Copyright 2013 The Associated
Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
