New York Giants News: Giants Seek First NFC East Win Against Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins
Giants head coach Tom Coughlin and his staff must figure out a way to contain Washington's Robert Griffin III. Reuters

The fate of the NFC East is in the New York Giants' hands.

The defending Super Bowl champs are 7-4 and in first place, entering their Week 13 matchup with the Washington Redskins. The two teams are set to face off on Monday night, and a win for the Giants would put them comfortably in the driver’s seat.

The Dallas Cowboys are in second place at 6-6. A Giants victory would vault them two games ahead of the Cowboys with four left to play. However, a loss for New York could make the division race very interesting.

A win for the Redskins would put them tied with the Cowboys and just one game behind New York. The Giants have a difficult schedule to close out the season, as they will face the Baltimore Ravens, Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints. Washington closes the year out with two losing teams and the Cowboys.

Robert Griffin III will look to duplicate his performances from the past couple of weeks. In each of his last two games, the quarterback has thrown four touchdown passes.

The rookie has impressed with his running skills, recording 642 rushing yards, thus far, but his passing numbers have been stellar as well. He’s second in the league with a 104.6 quarterback rating, tying him with Peyton Manning. His 22 total touchdowns and four interceptions have made some experts call him an MVP candidate, even though his team doesn’t even have a winning record.

The Giants will try to do a better job of stopping him in their second meeting with the Redskins. New York won the Oct. 21 contest between the two clubs, but Griffin completed 71.4 percent of his passes and complied 347 total yards.

Griffin has been more consistent than Eli Manning in 2012. The two-time Super Bowl MVP had a bounce-back performance against the Green Bay Packers last week, throwing three touchdowns and no interceptions. It was his first solid outing in over a month.

Manning could be ready to have a second straight strong game. The Redskins have the second-worst pass defense, allowing 301.4 passing yards through the air per game.

Both teams are relatively healthy, with the exception of Andre Brown. The Giants lost their No.2 and goal line running back for the season when he went down with an injury against the Packers. David Wilson will step into his role. The rookie has just 102 rushing yards on the year.

Even on the road, the Giants are favored to win. Las Vegas has New York favored by 2.5 points. The betting line reflects the Giants' recent history of having success away from home.

The game is scheduled to kick off at 8:30 on ESPN. You can watch a free live stream online on espn3.com.

Prediction: These two teams were very competitive in their last matchup, with a long touchdown pass to Victor Cruz putting the Giants over the edge. FedEx Field will be loud, but that shouldn’t affect the Giants. Facing a bad pass defense and likely playing in a game that will be determined in the fourth quarter, it’s hard to pick against Manning.

Predicted Score: New York 31, Washington 26