Kirk Herbstreit is bracing for a rough night at MetLife.
The longtime Prime Video analyst will be on the call for Thursday Night Football when the Washington Commanders meet the New York Giants, and he made it clear Thursday afternoon that the weather is already a major storyline. Herbstreit and Al Michaels are on the broadcast every week during the season, but this one comes with some extra bite.
“It’s brutal outside,” he said on The Pat McAfee Show before showing video of New York from his hotel room.
The forecast lines up with that warning. Covers reports that the National Weather Service is calling for a 74% chance of rain around kickoff, along with locally heavy downpours.
Meteorologist Kevin Roth says gusts could hit 23 to 25 mph, and temperatures are expected to hover near 52 degrees. Covers also notes that the over/under has dropped to 41.5 points.
That kind of setup points toward a night where the Giants may lean hard on the ground game. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler posted, “Expect plenty of Cam Skattebo for Giants.”
Skattebo missed New York’s 19-11 win in Philadelphia because of a hamstring injury, but Giants.com quotes coach John Harbaugh saying Skattebo “should be full-go on Thursday night.” The Giants’ injury report lists him with no game designation after full practices Tuesday and Wednesday.
The conditions should also fit Devin Singletary. He managed just 1.5 yards per carry on 21 attempts against the Eagles, but a wet, windy game could give him another chance to be part of the plan.
These teams already have a little unfinished business from earlier this season. They played to a 27-27 tie on October 11, and Giants running back Cam Skattebo lost a costly overtime fumble in that game.
New York enters the night at 5-2-1 and sits atop the NFC East, with Dallas next at 4-5. Washington is 2-5-1 after a 20-13 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. A Giants win would widen their cushion at the top of the division.
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