They needed to get the job done and stood up to the challenge. In front of a primetime audience, the New York Giants came into Washington and left with a 20-12 victory on Sunday night.
Despite some questionable calls, a win is a win. Who knows what may have happened if the touchdown by Brian Robinson stood? Would the Commanders have converted on that two-point conversion? Regardless, we’ll never know. It’s clear the Giants made more impactful plays than their division rival, and that’s what led to the win.
Daniel Jones threw for 160 yards while completing 21 of his 32 pass attempts. Saquon Barkley scored his ninth rushing touchdown, and Kayvon Thibodeaux led the defense with 12 tackles. Oh, and Graham Gano nailed both of his field goals with one from 50 yards out. All three levels stepped up and got the job done.
Not One, Not Two, But Eighteen
The New York Giants and long touchdown drives. Two concepts that you usually don’t see in the same sentence. But against Washington, Daniel Jones led the offense on an 18-play, 97-yard drive that took more than eight minutes off the clock. The end result? A three-yard touchdown by Barkley.
Re-live the best moments from the Giants 18 play, 98 yard drive that included a -5 yard run and a false start. But with a Saquon Barkley juke, clutch throws by Daniel Jones and a gutsy 4th down call, the Giants finished with 7 points & took up over half the quarter. pic.twitter.com/ZPw8kVFzSO
— Talkin’ Giants (@TalkinGiants) December 19, 2022
Why is this so notable? The last time the Giants scored after a long drive like this was against the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020. They also scored a 97-yard touchdown ironically on that drive. Also, those 18 plays were the most New York has run on one drive since their game against Pittsburgh also in 2020.
The touchdown run by Barkley gave New York a 14-3 lead heading into the half. It may have been long, but six points are six points no matter how long the drive takes.
Not Too Exciting, But This Giants’ Offense Was Phenomenal
The New York Giants didn’t score 30 points on Sunday. So, phenomenal may not be the best word to describe the offense. It’s been way too long since they have reached that number.
But, let’s look at the facts. Daniel Jones was efficient. 21/32 for 160 yards isn’t eye-popping, but it got the job done. More importantly, he continues to make plays with his legs as he ran for 35 yards.
Saquon Barkley led the way in the rushing department, as he ran for 87 yards on 18 carries. The Comeback Player of the Year candidate continues to lead this offense, and it showed in the fourth quarter. 52 of his 87 yards were acquired in that final stretch, giving the Commanders fits.
Saquon Barkley got stronger during the 4th quarter and on the last offensive possession. Washington was having a hard time with him and he got 3 key first downs. Tremendous finish to the game by @saquon. pic.twitter.com/gGQRnRkteb
— Doug Rush (@TheDougRush) December 19, 2022
That spin move definitely comes in handy, right Saquon?
Many Giants fans were calling for the head of Richie James after his two muffled punt returns against the Seahawks in week eight. He quieted the doubters and gave fans something to cheer about as he led the team with 42 receiving yards. These numbers aren’t too exciting, but one particular catch was key to this signature win.
Richie James szn back on pic.twitter.com/DP5BpNCc6k
— Justin Penik (@JustinPenik) December 19, 2022
The fourth-down conversion helped continue the long touchdown drive by New York. Maybe Giants fans should be apologizing to James now.
Finally, Jones was sacked zero times. The Giants’ offensive line deserves all the praise in the world for their performance last night.
“D*MN, 12 Tackles?”-Kayvon Thibodeaux
Commanders’ quarterback Taylor Heinicke threw for 249 yards. Their rushing attack ran for 159 yards. All of this is just for 12 points. Talk about bending but not breaking.
This Giants’ defense showed out. Many questioned the draft choice of Kayvon Thibodeaux during this past draft. Character concerns such as “taking plays off” were associated with the former Oregon defensive end. He took it with a grain of salt, and let his play do the talking.
All season long, Thibodeaux has consistently been able to get to the quarterback but just not able to register many sacks.
Kayvon Thibodeaux is 4th among rookie EDGEs in pass rush snaps (mostly because of his MCL sprain, partly because he drops into coverage more than some). Although he only has 2 sacks he is close to the lead in total pressures and leads all rookies in QB hits per PFF. pic.twitter.com/t5SVBHOq9P
— TTJ_nyg (@TTJ_nyg) December 14, 2022
Against Washington, Thibodeaux was lined up against left tackle Charles Leno. The rest is history.
Kayvon Thibodeaux is here pic.twitter.com/46p5UpVGDW
— Justin Penik (@JustinPenik) December 19, 2022
You can raise that sack total to three now, thank you very much.
As the heading suggests, Thibodeaux would pace the team with 12 tackles on the night. Three of them were tackles for loss and was the star of the defense with his fumble forced and a touchdown.
Heinicke would be sacked a total of three times and was also hit eight times in total on the night.
Two turnovers forced, 12 points allowed and making plays when it mattered. The defense got the job done. They pulled the Commanders into the deep end, and they couldn’t float.
Playoffs Are Now Realistic for the New York Giants
Big Blue’s playoff chances increased to 89% after their primetime win. For the first time since 2016, we could see the Giants in the postseason. It could become official next Sunday, but a few things need to happen.
- First, the Giants will have to beat the Vikings in Minnesota
- Then, two of the three must happen: Washington must lose to San Francisco, Detroit must lose to Carolina, and Seattle must lose vs Kansas City
Let’s see if a playoff spot can be wrapped up next Sunday.
How are we feeling about Dexter Lawrence’s new nickname? ????pic.twitter.com/UW93uhqy6v
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) December 19, 2022
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