Eli Manning Says NY Giants Must Be "at Their Best" Against Washington Redskins

After last Sunday, the New York Giants are once again in control of their fate. Quarterback Eli Manning understands the importance of that very fact.

"One or two games is not going to decide the outcome of the season at the midway point," Manning explained on Wednesday. "Now, when you get into games in December and in the division, these are all important and every one is a big game. Hopefully, you are playing good football at this point, and you've kind of found the way that you want to win games. I thought last week was a good start, and we need to keep getting better. Each team presents new problems and new ways that you can scheme and make plays. We had a good start, but it matters how we continue to practice this week and go out there and hopefully play our best game on Sunday."

The Giants have been dealing with a plethora of injuries as of late, especially on the offensive line. With that said, Manning hasn't been roughed up nearly as bad as his brother over the past few weeks. Manning praised his o-line on Wednesday, saying "A lot of it has been if we can run the ball - we haven't had a whole lot of third-and-long situations where you have to hold it until receivers get open. It's a lot of things that contribute to that, but they've done a good job of understanding what we're doing, how we're going to block things, picking up stunts and tendencies of the defense. Hopefully we continue to do that."

The upcoming game against the Washington Redskins is a big one for both teams. It's December and the division race is a tight one. Players on both rosters, including Manning, understand the importance of this particular contest. "I think they're all big at this point," Manning stated. "In the division with Washington, it's going to be a big game. This will be a great crowd, another home game, and we need to go out there and play our best football."

"Play our best football" hopefully includes no turnovers in the first 15 minutes of the game. This includes fumbles and interceptions from anybody on the offense, including the team's quarterback. It is largely up to Eli Manning to keep his offense under control during the first quarter in order to keep mistakes at a minimum. The continuous first quarter turnovers must cease for the Giants to emerge at the top of the division at December's end.

All quotes via New York Giants Communications Office

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