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Our NFL betting writer offers his best betting picks, and predictions for the matchup between the Giants and Commanders scheduled for Sunday in Washington at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC.

Both teams are fighting for an NFC playoff spot, and the winner of this contest will sit in the sixth position with three games to go. The teams played to a 13-13 tie in Week 13 — which is Washington’s most recent game — so the winner will hold the tiebreaker edge.

• Commanders to cover -4.5 spread @ -110 via Caesars Sportsbook
• Over 40.5 total points to be scored @ -110 via Caesars Sportsbook
• Daniel Jones to rush for more than 19.5 yards @ -110 via Caesars Sportsbook

Who had Washington as one of the hottest teams in the NFL in mid-December? The Commanders are 3-0-1 over their past four games and 6-1-1 in their last eight outings. The Giants are sliding in the wrong direction with an 0-3-1 mark following a stunning 7-2 start.

Washington eagerly traded for Carson Wentz in the offseason and he is now healthy after breaking his right ring finger in Week 6. But Wentz isn’t being given his starting job back as coach Ron Rivera has decided to stick with Taylor Heinicke at quarterback.

And why not? The Commanders are 5-1-1 in games Heinicke started this season and the 29-year-old brings a competitive level that Wentz hasn’t always provided. Heinicke has thrown nine scoring passes against five interceptions.

Washington also has a chip on its shoulder after the football know-it-alls wrote the team off after a 1-4 start. The only team the Commanders have lost two over the two months are the NFL-best Philadelphia Eagles (12-1).

The tie earlier this month shows that this game can go either way. But we like the fact Washington had a breather with last week’s bye and we see the Commanders prevailing in the rematch.

Pick: Commanders to cover -4.5 spread

Saquon Barkley has topped 1,000 rushing yards for the third time in his career but it has been a grueling trek in recent weeks. Barkley has averaged 3.5 yards or fewer in each of New York’s last four games, a stretch that includes outings of 22, 28 and 39 yards.

His best performance during the span was when he rushed for 63 yards and one score in 18 carries against the Commanders. Prior to the recent troublesome stretch, Barkley gained 70 of more yards in eight of nine games.

He was dealing with a neck injury during last week’s 48-22 loss to the Eagles but he was insisting this week that he is healthy. It is not a surprise that the Giants were racking up wins when Barkley was thriving and now haven’t won in more than a month while he is struggling.

Hard to know if Barkley will rebound this week but we do see a bit more offense in the rematch. Look for this contest to go over the projection.

Pick: Over 40.5 total points to be scored

Giants quarterback Daniel Jones has thrown for under 200 yards eight times this season and has never developed as a true passing threat. But those legs of his always make him dangerous.

Jones has rushed for 548 yards and five touchdowns and has gained 50 or more yards on four occasions. One of those is when he had 71 yards on 12 carries against Washington.

Many of Jones’ longer runs come on scrambles out of trouble. The Commanders sacked him four times two weeks ago, and we Jones racked up a good amount of rushing yards in the rematch.

Pick: Daniel Jones to rush for over 19.5 yards

Odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.