Washington stinks. The New York Giants really stink. Sunday’s matchup between the Washington Football Team and the visiting Giants might not be the prettiest, but it’s still an NFL game that means something for both teams.  While both teams will be looking to end the season on a high note, a loss wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, as the loser of Sunday’s contest will likely get a higher pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Here are three keys for the WFT to beat the Giants in the final game of the 2021-22 seasom:

Get pressure in the backfield

Based on what we’ve seen in his first two appearances for the Giants, Jake Fromm isn’t an NFL-caliber quarterback. While it is obviously a small sample size, Fromm was downright dreadful in his only two starts of the season. In those two games, he completed just 12/29 passes for 107 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. Fromm was also sacked three times and lost a fumble. It’s pretty clear that Fromm has been dealing with some rookie struggles, and Washington can easily take advantage of that. Consistent pressure from Washington’s d-line will challenge Fromm to make quick decisions and force throws into tight coverage, giving Washington a great chance at forcing multiple turnovers on Sunday.

Shut down the run game

With Jake Fromm at quarterback and New York’s receivers banged up, the Giants have little to no threat to beat Washington in the passing game. The only healthy offensive weapon they have is All-Pro running back Saquon Barkley. Although he has missed five games this year and hasn’t looked like the Saquon of old, Barkley is still one of the most talented runners in all of football. He picked up his first 100-yard rushing game last week against the Bears and will look to keep things rolling on Sunday. If Washington is able to fill the gaps and keep Barkley to minimal yardage per carry, the Giants will have nothing to work with on offense. Add in the fact that the Giants offensive line has been downright horrendous all season — with the exception of Andrew Thomas — Washington could put up some nicer home decor the way they might be living in the Giants backfield on Sunday. The road to success for Washington is simple: stop Saquon Barkley, and you stop the Giants offense.

See what the future has in store

Now that Washington is officially eliminated from playoff contention, it’s time to give some young players extra playing time to see what the franchise’s future may contain. Dyami Brown, Jaret Patterson and John Bates can all expect to see increased roles in the final matchup of the year. Patterson and Brown have had minor roles in the offense this year, but have flashed solid potential in their limited snaps. Bates has been a pleasant surprise filling in for Logan Thomas, and Ricky Seals-Jones and will surely receive a much larger role heading into next season. While Antonio Gibson was removed from the COVID-19 reserve list, it wouldn’t be surprising if Patterson actually receives more carries. Curtis Samuel will miss his 12th game of the season, meaning Brown will have yet another opportunity to see a few targets head his way.

The last time these two teams met, Washington won in spectacular fashion on a game-winning field goal. Fans can expect another physical, hard-fought battle for the final game of the 2022 NFL season. While it certainly hasn’t gone the way Washington wanted, the team has a promising young future ahead of them.