NY Giants LB Kyler Fackrell made a big play to deliver Joe Judge’s first victory, as the defense hung on 20-19 against the Washington Football Team SUnday.
NY Giants linebacker Kyler Fackrell came up with a huge, and timely turnover Sunday, and delivered head coach Joe Judge his first career victory in Sunday’s 20-19 win over the Washington Football Team.
After the Giants’ pass rush was virtually non-existent all day, Fackrell blew through the line of scrimmage, leveling a heavy hit on Washington quarterback Kyle Allen on 3rd down and 9 from the Giants’ 45-yard line forcing a fumble before rookie linebacker Tae Crowder picked up the bouncing ball and returned it for a touchdown.
Fackrell’s sack and forced fumble came one week after he intercepted Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and returned it for a touchdown.
However, the Giants’ joy was immediately replaced by trepidation over the game’s waning moments.
After the Giants’ offense with six-and-out without any points, Washington quarterback Kyle Allen orchestrated a 75-yard drive and victimized Logan Ryan for a 22-yard touchdown to Cam Sims in the back of the end zone.
Washington head coach Ron Rivera went for two, and Allen’s two-point conversion pass fell harmlessly to the turf.
The NY Giants got away with one, and escaped with a win.
The NFC East is seemingly a division that none of the four teams have much interest in winning, with the Philadelphia Eagles falling to the Baltimore Ravens, and the Dallas Cowboys yet to play on Monday night against the Arizona Cardinals. But, following Sunday’s win over Washington, at least for a week, Judge’s Giants are in the mix.
Suddenly, Thursday night’s game against the Eagles in Philadelphia carries postseason implications. Who would have figured.
Scroll through for four takeaways from Sunday’s win over Washington:
Coaching not to win …
At the end of the first half, Ron Rivera and the Washington Football Team went for it on fourth down, extended a drive, and were rewarded with a Kyle Allen touchdown pass. Rivera’s riverboat gamble paid off in a big way.
Faced with a similar situation, Giants head coach Joe Judge and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett came up small.
On the Giants’ first possession of the second half, Garrett ran Devonta Freeman into the middle of the line on 3rd down and 1 from the Washington 37-yard line, for a one-yard loss.
The Giants lined up to go for it on fourth down, were called for a delay of game, and instead of going for it on 4th down and 7, the Giants elected to preserve a timeout, and punt … To Washington’s 18-yard line.
It wasn’t even as though Judge and Garrett were coaching not to lose, their decision looked like they were coaching not to win.
Fortunately for Judge and Garrett, Washington went three-and-out on the ensuing possession, but the lack of aggressiveness in this situation is emblematic of the Giants’ struggles through the first five weeks. Garrett’s unimaginative third down play call was compounded by Judge’s lack of aggressiveness in a spot that could have effectively put the game on ice.
End of half defense remains significant concern
There wasn’t much Giants defensive back Julian Love could do, once Washington quarterback Kyle Allen lofted a perfectly-placed high-point ball to tight end Logan Thomas, who toe tapped in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown over Love.
However, the trend of the Giants’ defense giving up big plays — and scores in the waning moments of halves continued.
Including Allen’s touchdown, the Giants’ defense has allowed scoring drives of 70 yards or longer in five of the first six weeks, including Washington’s methodical 70-yard march down the field to pull within 13-10.
With an offense that struggles to score as much as the Giants do, surpassing 20 points just once, the margin for error for the defense is razor thin. However, not being able to get a fourth down stop or eventually get off the field without allowing points at the end of the first half proved costly against Washington.
Sunday, the Giants’ problems weren’t limited to the first half.
Washington put together a 10-play, 75-yard drive that chewed up 2:23 that was capped by an Allen touchdown with :36 remaining. Fortunately for the Giants, Allen’s pass on a two-point conversion attempt fell to the turf, but Graham and the defense need to figure out the final moments of halves.
James Bradberry continues to deliver
Each week James Bradberry continues to reinforce the notion that he is the most dominant addition the Giants have made during the Dave Gettleman era.
Washington Football Team quarterback Kyle Allen seemed to misread the Giants’ coverage pre-snap, because he threw a pass directly to Bradberry with 2:31 remaining in the first quarter, which Bradberry picked off for his second interception of the season.
It was easy Sunday to see why Pro Football Focus lists Bradberry as the NFL’s second-ranked cornerback, with an overall grade of 85.7 and an 87.3 coverage mark.
Daniel drops a dime
With 1:36 remaining in the first quarter, Daniel Jones made Washington pay for Allen’s interception with one of the finest throws of his young career.
Jones stood in the pocket, withstanding the rush from Washington defensive end Montez Sweat, and led wide receiver Darius Slayton with a perfectly thrown pass for a 23-yard touchdown to extend the Giants’ lead to 10-0.
You can check out video of Jones’ brilliant touchdown pass here.
There’s no denying the chemistry that Jones and Slayton have forged since their arrival during rookie minicamp last spring. It’s easy to see the dividends of the extra time Jones and Slayton spent running routes during those first few practices of their careers, through this season’s first five weeks. Sunday’s touchdown was Jones’ third touchdown of the season, all three to Slayton.
At times, Jones continues to hold onto the football too long, as was the case with a third down sack that halted the Giants’ prior possession at the 11-yard line, but throws like his touchdown strike to Slayton underscore the potential Jones has deep down that the Giants are so optimistic about.
Matt Lombardo is the site expert for GMenHQ, and writes Between The Hash Marks each Wednesday for FanSided. Follow Matt on Twitter: @MattLombardoNFL.