Thursday Night Football couldn’t have started out better for the New York Giants. The Washington Redskins had gone three and out and offsetting penalties made the Washington Redskins punt the ball again. Rashad Jennings blocked that punt and the game started our with a big time safety to put the Giants up 2-0.
Things got even better when a pressured Kirk Cousins threw an interception to Prince Amukamara. The Giants were set up with a golden opportunity and they took advantage of it. The Giants just needed four plays to get the ball into the end zone.
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The Giants dominated most of the first half and they built a 15-6 lead with 1:43 left before halftime. It was an opportunity to really put the pressure on the Redskins. As much as this game had gone their way the Giants still hadn’t put the game out of reach. In the back of every Giants fan’s mind was the notion that the Giants still had to finish.
The Giants failed to even get into field goal range. It was a victory for the Redskins defense. The Redskins were still in this game only down nine points. The first half was all about special teams. The blocked punt set the wheels in motion for the Giants to build a lead. Each team scored two field goals.
The Giants offense knew that to put this game away they would have to finish drives with touchdowns. They couldn’t afford to keep the Redskins hanging around. The pressure not to collapse like they did in the previous two games was surely mounting.
Sep 20, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin and New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) leave the football field after 24-20 loss to the Atlanta Falcons at Met Life Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
The Giants came out of the half sharp and focused. The Giants offense stayed on the field for 15 plays and 50 yards. The Giants took just over seven and half minutes off the clock and extended the lead to 18-6. The Josh Brown field goal wasn’t what the offense had hoped for but it was a good way to start the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter the Giants had another long drive but this time they scored a touchdown. The eight play drive ate just over 5 minutes off the clock. Odell Beckham Jr. scored the touchdown against one on one coverage. For Beckham Jr. that was like stealing candy from a baby.
The Giants defense bent a little in the second half but they made the Redskins earn every single yard. The Redskins had a long drive end with a fumble just outside the end zone that rolled into the end zone. The play was ruled a touchback and the Giants defense got a huge break.
The Giants had to punt on their subsequent possession but the turnover was huge. It cost the Redskins a lot of time when the clock was working against them. It also allowed the Giants to win the field position battle.
The Giants had a chance to put the dagger in the Redskins with just under six minutes remaining in the game. The Redskins had to go for it on a long 4th down They converted the fourth down, and they were also aided by a interference penalty by Amukamara. This was actually a good thing for the Giants, it allowed the Redskins to run the clock out on themselves.
With five minutes to go the Redskins converted on another fourth down pass. The Giants at this point were up 19 points. The defense was doing a wonderful job of keeping the play in front of them, keeping the Redskins inbounds and keeping the clock ticking.
The Redskins scored a touchdown with 3:40 remaining on the play-clock. The Redskins even got the two point conversion to cut the lead to 11 points. The Giants led 25-14 with very little time remaining. Despite their previous meltdowns, it would have been unfathomable for the Giants to lose this game.
The Giants decided to pass the football on a 3rd and 9 to keep the offense on the field. Rueben Randle caught a 43 yard touchdown pass, one that was tipped by Bashaud Breeland. It looked like the game was over. But the Redskins took the kickoff return for a touchdown. Like the late and great Yogi Berra said “It ain’t over until its over.”
The Redskins made this interesting but the Giants owned this game. The Giants won the turnover battle. They took advantage of their scoring opportunities, even when they had to settle for three. Offense, defense and special teams contributed to this win for the Giants. The Giants are now 1-2 and hopefully on the right track moving forward.
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