The Giants are one step closer to their postseason ticket. New York rose to 8-5-1 in the season after beating the Washington Commanders 20-12 in a prime-time NFC East showdown.
Washington got on the board first in this NFC East neck-and-neck race, but a touchdown-recovered stripsack from rookie pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux put New York ahead in the opening minutes of the second quarter and they held them the rest of the way.
Trailing 17-12 midway through the fourth quarter, Washington looked set to try and maintain the lead, especially after Taylor Heinicke made a 61-yard catch with Jahan Dotson that sent them deep into New York territory brought. However, Heinicke fumbled just a few games later and the ball was recaptured by New York. Saquon Barkley then pushed offense down the field and chewed the clock for over four minutes to eventually kick a field goal to go up at eight.
That turnover not only prevented a golden scoring opportunity for Washington, but gave the Giants an opportunity to extend their lead to a touchdown plus an extra point, which came into play in the final minute when Washington threatened to score again when they added the ball got the Giants 1-yard line before ultimately falling short.
Daniel Jones finished with 160 yards through the air on the 21st of 32 passes. Meanwhile, Barkley rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown with 18 carries. Heinicke was 17th of 29 passing for 249 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed three times for 33 yards.
While neither club falls out of the current playoff picture in the NFC, this win puts New York down at No. 6 in the conference while the Commanders drop to No. 7 at 7-6-1. With those two clubs tied in Week 13, it’s worth noting that the Giants also claimed the neck-and-neck tiebreak with this win. The Dallas Cowboys also secured a place in the playoffs.
For a more detailed breakdown of how this game played out, check out our takeaways below.
Why the Giants won
The Giants didn’t move the ball very well offensively. While they had a 97-yard touchdown drive to their credit, they averaged just 5 yards per play and converted just two of their 10 third-down chances on the night. What they really hung their hats on in that game was defense, particularly the pressure they were able to put on Taylor Heinicke.
Rookie pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux made his presence felt early and often as he was a mainstay in the Washington backfield in front of goal. The crowning moment for him came in the first half when he was fired off the edge on a two-and-18 play from Washington’s 10-yard line, Heinicke attacked with a stripsack, regained the ball and took it for a touchdown brought to the end zone.
On the night, Thibodeaux has 12 total tackles, three tackles for a loss, a sack and that touchdown. He’s the only rookie since at least 2000 with 10 tackles, a sack and a defensive touchdown in a game. However, the first-rounder wasn’t the only one to pressure the Commanders’ passing attack, as the club clinched three sacks and eight total quarterback hits to win. They also forced two fumbles that helped turn the game in their favor. Dexter Lawrence forced the other fumble late in the fourth quarter and Landon Collins also showed up at the line of scrimmage with a handful of crucial tackles.
Of course, the offense had its moments, especially on the ground. As a team, they rushed for 128 yards on 30 carries, including some clutch chunk runs from Saquon Barkley in the fourth quarter after Lawrence’s forced fumble.
Why the commanders lost
Washington struggled to protect Taylor Heinicke, especially early in the game, but they were able to move the ball at a decent rate (6.7 yards per play) throughout the night. Where they fought mightily was third place conversion. They converted just one of their 10 third downs that night, and that came at the 14:17 mark of the fourth quarter. That resulted in them scoring a touchdown on just one of their three red-zone trips on the night.
Of course, the Heinicke-Fummel pair was also a key element in Washington being on the losing side in this game. Both turnovers resulted in a total of 10 points on the board for New York, which proved to be the difference in this critical divisional match.
Even with the defeat, it must be pointed out that the official apparently made a wrong decision in the last offensive game. On fourth and sixth plays from the New York 6, Heinicke threw a pass to Curtis Samuel, which was covered by Darnay Holmes. Despite wrapping his arms around his Samuel’s chest, officials didn’t flag him for interfering with defensive passing and Washington turned the ball around on downs.
While Washington had many opportunities to win this game prior to this moment, officials seem to have missed one here.
turning point
The commanders looked like they were about to turn the game upside down midway through the fourth quarter. Taylor Heinicke hit rookie wideout Jahan Dotson with a 61-yard pass that turned the field, and Brian Robinson followed with a 19-yard run on the next play that put Washington at New York’s 11-yard line. Only five points down at the time, this was the best place for the commanders to either get to three with an eventual field goal or retake the lead with a touchdown.
However, neither of those results ultimately came to fruition after Heinicke was stripped on a third and fourth sack.
This was a heads-up game by the Giants on multiple fronts. Because officials punched Heinicke, first-year head coach Brian Daboll was tasked with raising the red Challenge flag if he wanted them to take a look. Thanks to their clear recovery from Dexter Lawrence, officials could not only decide that Heinicke was fumbling, but New York would have possession.
The Giants then put the ball in Saquon Barkley’s hands and the back ripped several chunks to the ground. In three straight games, Barkley rushed for 12 yards, 15 yards, and then 14 yards to not only get into Washington territory but also bleed time off the clock.
New York was then within field goal range when Graham Gano launched a 50-yard field goal to take the lead to eight right after the two-minute caution.
game of the game
It wasn’t the most successful night offensively for either of these teams, but Saquon Barkley shone when it mattered. While his 48 yards on that crucial field goal drive in the fourth quarter were as handy as you can get after Heinicke’s fumble, the star back showed us some fancy footwork early in this game.
On a second and sixth game midway through the second quarter, Daniel Jones hit Barkley with a passout in the flat on the left side of the field. He hauled in the catch, then eyed Commanders linebacker Jon Bostic and completely broke his ankles with an impressive stutter step juke. Despite being within reach of Barkley, the defender’s quick feet caused Bostic to collapse as he rushed for the first down.
New York would continue to score on that drive, with Barkley firing right at Washington’s 3-yard line to make it 14-3.
What’s next
From here, the Giants travel to Minnesota to take on the Vikings on Christmas Eve. As for the Commanders, they’ll also be on the road next Saturday when they visit the Bay Area for a Week 16 showdown with the San Francisco 49ers.