By Michael Stewart/@golferbad
The New York Giants continue to show improvement with their overall play this season as they defeated Washington in a hard-fought battle 23-20 to extend their winning streak to 4 games against Washington. Quarterback Daniel Jones is now 4-0 against Washington in his career as he displayed precision passing and most importantly didn’t commit a turnover (interception/fumble).
Washington on the other hand committed 5 turnovers in the game (more on that later). Here are my top 5 reasons why the Giants won this game:
- Turnovers: The Giants committed no turnovers (not a misprint) whereas Washington committed 5 on the day (two late 4th quarter interceptions by Alex Smith) that sealed the win for the Giants.
- Finishers: The Giants were able to finally finish what they started against Washington with a solid defensive stand in the final 5 minutes of the game. They did get a little help from Washington’s quarterback Alex Smith on two poorly thrown passes that sealed Washington’s fate.
- Strong Start: The Giants continued their string of strong starts (5 straight games) as they jumped out to an early 10-0 lead on Washington in the 1st quarter. Offensively; quarterback Daniel Jones showed great poise and maintained control of his surroundings and more importantly; held onto the ball.
Time of Possession: The Giants needed to help their defense by prolonging some of their drives (36:27 ) to move the chains and keep Washington’s defense on the field. Well the Giants accomplished this with a well-balanced offensive attack with solid running by Wayne Gallman and Alfred Morris and through the air by Daniel Jones.
Battle in the Trenches: The Giants newly assembled offensive line is starting to show some grit and nastiness as they manhandled Washington’s Defensive front 4 all game long. The Giants ran for 166 yards on the ground and Daniel Jones was only sacked twice.
Final Thoughts: The Giants are now 2-7 and will play the Philadelphia Eagles next week in a very important NFC east divisional game. Aside from the Giants lost to the San Francisco 49ers earlier on the year, this team had a chance to win most of those games and if the ball bounced in their favor, the Giants could be in 1st place. The 23-20 score turned out to be the exact score I predicted as I am now 8-1 on the year. Keep an eye out for my next Coaches Corner article featuring my prediction of the Giants-Eagles matchup this week.