Redskins 17, Giants 16 – Penalties and Missed Opportunities Cost Giants in Washington

Things in the NFC east division just got a little more interesting as the Washington Redskins defeated the Giants 17-16 at Fed Ex Field on Monday night football. The Giants were victimized by mistakes tonight and it cost them a game that they arguably should have won. The loss puts the Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys one game behind the Giants in the NFC east division with four fames left to play.

The game-winning drive came on a dominating 12-play drive by the Redskins that was capped off by a RG3 8-yard touchdown pass to Pierre Garcon. This came after the Giants stalled on their scoring drive and had to end up settling for a field goal. When it mattered most, the Redskins took advantage of their opportunities and the Giants couldn’t cash in fully on the ones they had.

Take nothing away from what the Redskins (6-6) did tonight, they made the plays in the second half that needed to be made at the right time. However, the Giants (7-5) were uncharacteristically sloppy with a season high 9 penalties for 73 yards. They were able to sidestep the penalties in the first half, however the Redskins dominated the tempo in the second half. Everytime the Giants seemed to be in position to strike tonight they found a way to stop themselves.

In the first half, the Giants dominated the time of possession and for the most part were able to keep Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III off the field. The run game was clicking and Eli Manning had a nice flow going with the passing game. As good as the 1st half was, the 2nd half was the opposite.

The Redskins pounded the Giants tonight with the run game in the second half. RG3 and running back Alfred Morris combined to wear down the Giants defensive line. The Giants needed to contain Washington’s run game tonight and they were unable to get the job done. Wide receiver Pierre Garcon also came up big for the Redskins in the passing attack, he missed the first meeting between these two teams in week 7.

The Giants had success with the passing game in the first half and cold have had more had Manning not missed on a couple of passes downfield on a suspect Redskins secondary. However, they went heavy to the run game in the second half.

The Giants have struggled all season with not finishing off scoring drives with touchdowns and tonight was no different. This is an area that continues to plague them.

Ahmad Bradshaw provided a lift for the Giants with some hard-nosed running to the tune of 103 yards on 24 carries. David Wilson only carried 4 times for 9 yards tonight and I would have liked to have seen him get a few more touches. Maybe he did enough to help head coach Tom Coughlin  have some more confidence in him going forward.

Notables

Eli Manning – 20 for 33, 280 yards, 1 td

Ahmad Bradshaw – 24 carries, 103 yards

Victor Cruz – 5 catches, 104 yards

Robert Griffin III – 13 for 21, 163 yards, 1 td | 5 Carries for 72 yards

Alfred Morris – 22 carries, 124 yards

Pierre Garcon – 8 catches, 106 yards, 1 td

What’s Next?

It doesn’t get any easier for the Giants as they welcome in Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints to MetLife Stadium this Sunday.