4. The 97-yard drive to close the first half was a thing of beauty
When Washington punted the ball and pinned the Giants down at their own three yard line, we don’t blame you if you feared the worst for NY. People were probably nervous wrecks thinking Jones would get tackled in the end zone for a safety. The opposite turned out to be the case, with the G-Men going 97 yards on 18 plays.
That’s not a typo – 18 plays and 97 freaking yards for a touchdown by Barkley to put Big Blue up 14-3. Earlier in the game, a lot of folks were furious with the play-calling of Mike Kafka. He got back on people’s good sides on this particular drive, as Barkley, Jones, James and Isaiah Hodgins were brilliant.
This was just what the doctor ordered for the Giants. This offense has looked so bad in the first half quite a bit this season. For them to get back on track on this drive and deliver a powerful punch on Washington ahead of halftime was huge.
We already discussed the 4th-down completion to James, but you’ve got to give a ton of credit to Hodgins too. He made some monstrous catches for Danny Dimes too, including one that set the Giants up with 1st and goal. Two plays later, Barkley celebrated his score.