Two weeks after tying the Commanders 20-20 at MetLife Stadium, 20 was the magic number again for the Giants – this time in a 20-12 win at FedEx Field that was a huge boost for their playoff chances.
“Yeah, beats the alternative,” head coach Brian Daboll smiled after the “okay” win.
It was a game, where, really, the Giants did almost everything right when they needed to. In the first quarter, the defense clamped down at the right times, stopping a drive at their own 35 and forcing a pooch punt, then holding Washington to a field goal after they had first-and-10 at the Big Blue 25.
"We're gonna battle. I think our coaches are resilient and I think they call the game with fire, with passion, and players see that. It helps us build because we do it together,” Kayvon Thibodeaux, who had a monster game, said after the win. “Every team, they speak about this 'we're family', but come on. Everybody knows that. Let's be real and see it. It exudes out of how we play. I think for us, we gotta continue to stick together, continue to keep our bodies healthy and keep moving."
Then, early in the second quarter, they forced a big turnover when Thibodeaux strip-sacked Taylor Heinicke and then scooped the fumble up for a touchdown to make it 7-3 Big Blue.
“Heck of a play by him, he had a similar one a couple of weeks ago and got the sack on that one, and then the sack, fumble, touchdown this week was an incredible play,” quarterback Daniel Jones said of the play. “He's playing at an extremely high level right now."
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“That play that changed the tide a little bit in the early part of the game,” Daboll added. “He is a very talented player and he played like it. He's a big part of our defense."
Following the Commanders’ ensuing punt, the Giants then went on maybe their best drive of the season 18 plays, 97 yards for a touchdown, taking 8:35 off the clock en route to a 14-3 halftime lead.
“Just a lot of good execution,” Daboll said. “We made some big third downs, Daniel and Richie (James) stood out on a couple of those, and we made the 4th and 9. A lot of good play calls, but credit goes to the players and executing. Hard to have those drives.”
"It was consistent execution, play after play. I thought it had a good mix,” Jones added. “I thought (offensive coordinator) Mike Kafka did a really good job on that one, keeping them guessing on what we were doing. The guys did a good job executing it."
The key play was that 4th and 9 from Washington’s 35, maybe too far for a field goal try with 2:23 left – but Jones hit James for an 11-yard completion that moved the chains and took it down to the two-minute warning.
Turns out, that’s something the Giants had been planning to do if the situation ever arose.
“We do that every week, because you don't know when those things are going to come up or how things are going to evolve,” Daboll said. “There are so many different things that come up, and you have discussions during the game. There's a lot of numbers and percentages, and there's also real conversations about the players, or the matchups. You kind of combine everything have to have a feel for the game, and we just try to do what's best for us."
“I think with where we were on the field and how it was going, I anticipated that a little bit,” Jones said. “Richie did a really good job winning on that route and getting some separation for us. That was a big play, and that’s where you want to be as players, in position to make big plays with a chance to deliver.”
The second half saw Washington score a quick TD, and then the teams traded field goals, leading to the next big play: a sack of Heinicke on third down at the Giants’ five yard line with just over six minutes left where he fumbled the ball. It was originally ruled just a sack with the QB down by contact, but Daboll challenged and it was reversed, giving Big Blue the ball and taking an almost-sure three off the board for the Commanders – with credit, Daboll says, going to offensive assistant Cade Knox and director of football data and innovation Ty Siam for making that call to challenge.
“They're really two guys that I lean on a lot during the week in terms of clock management and decisions,” Daboll said. “Those two guys were certainly a big part of it. Two Ivy Leaguers, so try to listen to the Ivy Leaguers."
That led to a field goal that put Washington in a tougher spot (down eight instead of maybe five) on their final drive, and that’s when the last big plays came in: a Washington penalty moved third and goal from the one to the six, and on fourth down, the defense held.
“Awesome. Great play by (Nick) McCloud, got some pressure, and I’d say the whole team did a great job executing,” Daboll said. “The players competed hard, and the coaches did a really good job of calling the game the way we needed to call it. It’s four or five plays that it comes down to and our guys, I give them credit, they made those plays."
It appeared as if Darnay Holmes may have been committing pass interference on Curtis Samuel on the final throw, but there was no call, and all Daboll would say was, “That was a good play.”
“This defensive backfield, everybody in our mind they're like, 'I want them to throw to my guy.' That's the kind of guys we have in the locker room,” safety Julian Love said of that final play. “Yeah, it was a tough situation. I was in coverage just trying to stay on my guy, and you see the ball, and you see an aggressive finish on the play. That's a great stop. That's what you've got to do."
Add it all up and the Giants are now 8-5-1, guaranteed a non-losing season and in control of their playoff destiny. They have a one-game lead plus the tiebreak on Washington but 1 ½ and no tiebreak over Detroit and Seattle, and with the Vikings, Colts, and Eagles left, Big Blue knows it won’t be easy.
"Well, it feels good to get the win, it's a big win for us,” Jones said. “You know, playing meaningful games here in December is where you want to be, but we still got three more important games for us, and we haven't achieved that goal yet, we still got to play well, and we'll take it one game at a time."
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
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