• Mon. Mar 18th, 2024

Photo Credit:  Geoff Burke: USA Today Sports

 

The New York Giants came out featuring running back Paul Perkins on their first two possessions and despite effectively running the ball the Giants came up with only a field goal on their second series.  The Giants managed to put together a strong drive but came up short in the red zone and were forced to settle for three points.  The Giants defense was stout, as usual, in the opening frame and limited the high powered Redskins offense in their first three possessions.  Defensive tackle Damon Harrison and Landon Collins each picked up a sack as the defense was able to consistently get pressure on quarterback Kirk Cousins.  Manning and the offense kicked off the second quarter with a terrific drive that was capped by a two yard touchdown run up the gut care of running back Rashad Jennings.  The 11 play, 74 yard drive was a change of pace for the struggling offense.  They methodically moved the ball down field in just under six minutes and this time around were able to put six on the board once they entered the red zone.  The Giants defense was superb in the first half, holding the Redskins to under 100 yards of total offense.  The Giants headed into the break up 10-0, with some momentum as Manning and the offense consistently moved the ball throughout the first half.

The Giants came out in the second half and continued the positive trend of moving the ball with relative ease on the Redskins defense.  Coach Ben McAdoo showed his aggressiveness on a fourth down and two play, deep in Redskins territory on their opening series but were not able to convert.  On the following Redskins possession the Redskins got deep into the Giants territory after a long pass to wide receiver Pierre Garcon.  Thanks to an interception by Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, his fifth of the season, the Redskins who appeared on the verge of putting some points on the board left the field empty handed.  As the third quarter wound down the Redskins scored their first points of the game on a 32 yard field goal that made it a one possession game.  It became clear that the Giants defense would have to play the prominent role that they’ve played all season long to keep the Giants in the lead and give them a chance to win.  The Redskins evened the score on their opening fourth quarter drive that saw the offense seemingly move the ball at will.  They converted on a pivotal third down and seventeen and due to a personal foul penalty on Landon Collins had the ball inside the five yard line.  They quickly capitalized and on the next play Cousins found Jordan Reed in the end zone.  Knotted at ten, Eli Manning and the offense tried to put together a solid drive after four consecutive drives that resulted in less than twenty yards of total offense.  Aside from their opening drive of the second half, Manning and the offense were not able to replicate their success moving the ball in the first half.  The sixth possession of the second half proved to be a successful one as Robbie Gould  kicked a 40 yard field goal which returned the lead to the Giants.  The Redskins had one last chance to tie or win the game but Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie dashed their hopes with his second interception, which effectively ended the game.   The Redskins would get the ball back once more with under ten seconds remaining in the game.  Tight end Jordan Reed made a catch and attempted to throw a lateral which was picked off the ground by Trevin Wade who then ran it in for a touchdown.  The final play secured the win by a score of 19-10.  Their first round opponent is yet to be determined but at the least the Giants can take satisfaction in eliminating their divisional foe from the playoffs with the victory.

 

Dan Evans is contributing writer for PureSportsNY   You can follow him on Twitter @DanEvansPSNY

By Vernon McKenzie

Graduate of New Institute Of Technology with a BA in Communications with a focus on Television Radio. Owner and Executive Producer of PureSportsNY

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