4 game-changing plays that saved the NY Giants in the win over Washington

Despite being a much closer game than it should have been, the NY Giants managed to escape Sunday afternoon with a victory against their division rival the Washington Commanders. This was easily the Giants' best game since their Week 2 victory against the Cardinals and could set them up with a good amount of momentum heading into next week's game against the Jets.

With this win came some big-time plays from the Giants' playmakers, as several guys stepped up against Washington. Without these four plays, it's easy to imagine New York falling short once again and sitting at 1-6 instead of 2-5:

4. Leonard Williams blocked FG to keep it a seven point game

The Giants made a lot of special teams mistakes this week, but this was not one of them. For the first time in what seems like forever, New York managed to block an opposing team's field goal thanks to some heroics from Leonard Williams early in the fourth quarter. While it didn't result in any points for the Giants due to a Saquon Barkley fumble, it set them up for a 10-play drive that took a ton of time off the clock.

This was easily Williams' best game of the season, as he finished with two tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss, two QB hits, and the blocked field goal. What makes this stat line even better is that Williams' sack immediately led to the Giants scoring their first offensive touchdown since Week 3 against the 49ers.

Williams has continued to be one of the more under-appreciated players on this Giants' defense, so it was nice to see him finally get the shine he deserves. With all the talk surrounding New York potentially trading the veteran, he likely upped his value a good bit with this play alone, let alone his overall performance in such a huge game. It was a great day for Williams.

3. Deonte Banks' first interception couldn't have come at a better time

Throughout his first seven games, Deonte Banks has been nothing short of incredible for the Giants. Not only has he been arguably their best corner, but he's consistently shut down some of the NFL's top receivers. Considering that he's just a rookie, this is very impressive and he was finally rewarded with an interception courtesy of a big mistake from Sam Howell:

Hopefully, Banks continues to shine for the Giants as the season goes on. We've seen how rookie corners can struggle at times in their rookie seasons. Despite this, we haven't seen any signs of this from Banks and if not for Devon Witherspoon, a real case could be made for Banks being the best CB in his draft class so far. This just goes to show how great of a talent evaluator Joe Schoen has been for the Giants.

Sure, there were times on Sunday where Banks struggled going up against Terry McLaurin, but he was able to hold his own for most of the game. Come Week 8, we could see plenty of Banks on Garrett Wilson. It should be a fun battle between a couple of youngsters.

2. Saquon Barkley's 32-yard TD reception to put the Giants up 14-0

As a direct result of Banks' interception, Saquon Barkley managed to get his third touchdown of the season in just four games. On the second play of the Giants' drive following Banks' play, Barkley caught a pass from Tyrod Taylor and after avoiding Jamin Davis, he had a straight shot to the end zone, putting the Giants up 14-0.

This is Barkley's second game back from injury and he's looked nothing short of incredible for the Giants. New York's offense has looked the best it has all season with him on the field and this shouldn't be a shock to anyone as he's still one of the best running backs in the entire NFL. Considering how well he played today behind a practice squad offensive line, more fans need to give Barkley his flowers.

Barkley finished this game with 21 carries for 71 yards on the ground, as well as three receptions for 41 yards and a TD through the air. Once the offense gets back to full strength with Andrew Thomas and John Michael-Schmitz, we can only imagine the level at which Barkley will up his play. He did have a fumble in this one, but thankfully Washington wasn't able to take advantage.

1. The Giants seal the victory thanks to a great 4th-down stop

The game really shouldn't have come down to a 4th and 5 in the Giants' red zone, as they were handed several opportunities to close out the Commanders prior to this. However, when it came time to make a game-winning play, the Giants' defense showed up and delivered New York their second victory of the season. It's hard to pinpoint who had the most impact here, as really everyone played their role very well:

Whether it be the ridiculous amount of pressure the defensive front put on Howell, or the great play by Jason Pinnock to help seal the deal on Jahan Dotson's drop, we really have to give credit to everyone. For yet another week, the Giants' defense picked up where the offense left off, except this time, New York finally came out with a win.

The Giants' defense has been nothing short of incredible these last couple of weeks and it's something we love to see. If the offense won't play well, at least the other half of the field will show up and win a game or two.