That's how you take down an NFC East rival! NY Giants fans have been begging for some good news to come in on this team - they haven't had reasons to smile this season. Entering Sunday, the Giants were 2-8 on the year. Now, they're 3-8, baby.
Despite being big-time underdogs, the G-Men were able to make more than enough plays on both sides of the ball to post an impressive 31-19 victory. This team showed a lot of GUTS on Sunday and Brian Daboll is finally able to celebrate. Here are our four takeaways from the action:
4. Saquon Barkley proved why he's one of the best running backs in the game
Have a day, Saquon Barkley. We're of course going to give Tommy DeVito plenty of love for his showing in this one, but Barkley indeed reminded everyone of why he's one of the best running backs in the NFL. Barkley's day started with one of the best touchdown catches you'll see this campaign. DeVito tossed it only where his RB could come down with the ball, and he did just that.
I mean this is a beautiful pass from Tommy Devito. A great job by Saquon Barkley to hold onto this football.
— Talkin’ Giants (@TalkinGiants) November 19, 2023
A first quarter touchdown, and now the Giants lead 7-0 pic.twitter.com/OrDrc4OoUl
That's an incredible play from Barkley. He had himself one hell of an afternoon, rushing the ball for 83 yards, while adding four receptions for 57 yards and two touchdowns in the thrilling Giants victory. Barkley has been battling an ankle injury this season, but it didn't slow him down one bit vs. Washington. Props to him for a massive showing.
3. The Giants defense as a whole deserves a game ball
Take a bow, Wink Martindale. In back-to-back weeks, the Giants defense had blown it on defense, giving up 30 points to the Las Vegas Raiders and then giving up 49 points to the Dallas Cowboys. Because of that, fans were furious with Wink Martindale and rightfully so. However, there's a different feeling right now.
The Giants defense was nothing short of brilliant in Week 11, making life difficult for Washington quarterback Sam Howell. On the day, the Giants forced a mind-blowing six turnovers...SIX! Martindale had his unit ready to play and the traveling fans who made their way to FedEx Field had to love what they were seeing. Hey, the Isaiah Simmons pick-six was a great way to close things out.
The #Giants are going to upset the #Commanders in Washington. Isaiah Simmons with a pick-6 to seal it.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 19, 2023
Giants defense forced SIX turnovers today.pic.twitter.com/Uaaxjce7lu
Giants fans were able to breathe a huge sigh of relief there, as there was definitely a ton of concern that the Commanders would drive down the field to take the lead. Instead, Simmons was in a great spot to make a play and he made Howell play for a terrible decision. The Giants defense got the job done, no doubt about it.
2. Tommy DeVito should be given the keys to East Rutherford
How about the play of the rookie quarterback, who went undrafted last April and signed as an UDFA? Making only his third-career start, with the previous two being a bit of a nightmare, DeVito was fantastic in the win over the Commanders, finishing with a career-high three touchdowns. Yes, DeVito hung on to the ball too long at times, but in the end, he helped power this squad to a victory.
HE BEAT THE COMMANDERS IS WHAT HE DID.
— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) November 19, 2023
AND IN THIS HOUSE, TOMMY DEVITO IS A HERO. END OF STORY. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ZsWc9SbXLz
On the afternoon, DeVito tossed for 246 yards and his three scores. Two of those TDs went to Barkley, while he also had a sweet connection with Darius Slayton. Slayton unfortunately suffered an arm injury later in the action and was ruled out for the rest of the game. We can only hope it's not a serious injury for him.
Back to DeVito - this is a game he's never going to forget. People have been ripping Daboll for sticking with him as the starter, as he's looked pretty rough over the past two games. However, he made some impressive throws against Washington and earned the first-career victory of his young playing days. The New Jersey native won over plenty of hearts because of his performance.
1. Giants fans should enjoy this win and not worry about tanking
From the looks of social media, you'd think the Giants just suffered another blowout loss. That's right, there are plenty of Big Blue supporters on Twitter who are furious the Giants captured the victory, because it might cost them a chance at drafting either Caleb Williams or Drake Maye. Yes, both those guys are star quarterbacks with bright futures.
However, do we really think the Giants and these players are just going to roll over in Week 11 and try to lose so the front office and Joe Schoen can bring in an elite QB next April? Yeah, that's never going to happen. John Mara will never allow for his players to give up and just record a terrible 60 minutes of action.
With the win, the Giants are now 3-8 on the year. Sure, they're still not going to make the postseason and it's going to be a dissapointing campaign as a whole once January rolls around. However, can we take some time to appreciate what DeVito, Barkley, Simmons, Dexter Lawrence, Kayvon Thibodeaux and others were able to get done? This was a gutsy win for the Giants - the players should be proud of what they got done.