Game Review: New York Giants 24 – Washington Redskins 3

Janoris Jenkins – © USA TODAY Sports

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New York Giants 24 – Washington Redskins 3

QUICK RECAP

For the first time since November 14 2004, Eli Manning ran out of the tunnel as the Giants’ backup quarterback. This time around he was the veteran who was watching a rookie take over the reigns. After a memorable NFL debut in Tampa, Daniel Jones started for Big Blue for the first time at MetLife Stadium. Their opponent? The other basement dweller of the NFC East, the 0-3 Redskins.

The Redskins entered the game without their staring left tackle, starting right guard, and starting center. Journeyman Case Keenum remained their starting QB after a horrific Monday night performance just 6 days prior and then spending the week in a walking boot. The Giants on the other hand were without 2 of their 3 rotational inside linebackers and still without Golden Tate, who was in his final week of suspension. However, the biggest hole on their game-day roster was at running back, as Saquon Barkley walked out of the tunnel in street clothes for the first time in his very young career as he recovers from a high ankle sprain.

Keenum and the broken offense lasted just two plays before turning the ball over via a interception to LB Ryan Connelly. The Giants offense started off hot yet again, as they scored on their opening drive for the fourth straight game. Jones hit a wide open Wayne Gallman for a 6-yard score. Whatever process they undergo to script that opening drive, it’s working. The Redskins were getting flagged early and often and that remained to be the case for the entire game. WAS was penalized two times on their ensuing offensive drive four times on the next NYG offensive drive. NYG was reaping rewards of being officiated by the crew that led all referees in flags thrown over the first three weeks.

With WAS playing sloppy and tired, typical of both this franchise in recent memory and teams playing on short rest, NYG’s 13-play, 94-yard drive resulted in another Gallman touchdown, this one a 1-yard rush. NYG got the ball back after forcing a three-and-out but Jones gave it right back, throwing his first interception as a pro to Quinton Dunbar. The NYG defense then forced another three-and-out and it appeared the game was on repeat, as Jones threw his second interception to Dunbar on as many drives. This time WAS turned it into 3 points with their own 1st rounder, Dwayne Haskins, being inserted into the lineup. The Giants lead was 14-3.

Jones’ next step in maturation was on display at this point. After two straight turnovers, he led NYG on a 10-play, 63-yard drive that resulted in a 20-yard field goal by Aldrick Rosas. Jones successfully converted a 3rd-and-4, a 2nd-and-20, and a 2nd-and-6 for first downs respectively with both his arm and his legs. That kind of short memory and composure through adversity is yet another reason why this team is all of the sudden better with him at the helm. NYG led 17-3 at the half and it seemed like a much bigger margin.

The Giants’ defensive domination continued on into the second half, as WAS didn’t reach the 100-total yard mark until the final two minutes of the 3rd quarter. Just moments after they eclipsed that mark, Haskins threw his first interception as a pro to Jabrill Peppers, the safety who wears #21 on his jersey. Peppers has had a pretty quiet start to his NYG career but perhaps this was the best moment to break out, as the former #21 of NYG, Landon Collins, was standing on the WAS sideline. Collins has had trouble keeping his mouth shut since he and the Giants organization parted ways. NYG lengthened their lead to 24-3 as the fourth quarter approached.

Offensively NYG struggled to move the ball in the second half, as the stout WAS defensive line controlled the point-of-attack and both running backs, Gallman and Jon Hilliman both turned the ball over via fumbles. The Giants lead was too much for WAS to handle, though, as Haskins threw two more interceptions and the refs continued to penalize the visitors with flags. All in all, it was as dominant a win as NYG has had in quite some time. They had the ball for over 36 minutes and were flagged 5 times opposed to the 12 times the Skins were flagged. This game never felt close.

Giants win 24-3.

QUARTERBACK

-Daniel Jones: 23/31 – 225 yards – 1 TD / 2 INT – 78.0 QBR. Jones also gained 33 yards on the ground. It was a shaky performance by the second-start rookie, as he turned the ball over twice. Because the opponent was one of the worst two teams in football, those turnovers didn’t come back to bite and make a big difference. As mentioned above, the best positive that came out of this for Jones was showing he can forget about the mistakes and go into the following drive(s) with a clear head. Jones’ composure is something I have discussed several times dating back to preseason and he put another check in that box.

RUNNING BACK

–Wayne Gallman: 18 att / 63 yards / 1 TD – 6 Rec / 55 yards / 1 TD. While Gallman is never going to be mistaken for Barkley, he answered the call with the only two scores by the Giants offense on the day. While he had a hard time finding space to maneuver in the running game, he did have a couple of key big gains. His pass blocking left a little to be desired as well, as he just couldn’t hold his ground on a couple of occasions and it really tightened the pocket for Jones.

-Jon Hilliman: 10 att / 33 yards. Hilliman had a shot at his first pro touchdown but he fumbled inside the WAS 5-yard line and turned it over. With NYG taking a quick, commanding lead he was given his fair share of opportunities to split the carries with Gallman but he couldn’t quite stand out.

WIDE RECEIVER

-Sterling Shepard: 7 rec / 76 yards. Shepard also carried the ball once for 23 yards on a play that seems to be a weekly staple for the team. A look at the stats and one may not be overly impressed by Shepard, but his presence on this offense is vital especially on third downs. Other than a 3rd-and-18 dump off pass, Shepard converted all of his fourth, third, and second down catches for first downs. He, combined with Engram and the incoming Golden Tate, will be instrumental in the early progression of Jones.

-Darius Slayton, Bennie Fowler, and Cody Latimer combined for 3 catches on just 4 targets. Latimer was targeted twice but he was flagged for offensive pass interference two times in his first game back from missing time with a concussion. With Tate coming back, Fowler and Slayton will likely see less snaps.

TIGHT END

-Evan Engram: 4 rec / 54 yards. Engram saw a lot of double teams / bracket coverage from the WAS back seven. I think a lot of teams are going to do this because of how much Shurmur wants to feature Engram as the primary target and Jones’ early inclination to force him the ball. Engram was quiet but he did have a 31-yard gain that was mostly yards-after-catch. His blocking took a step back in this one, as he couldn’t handle the WAS edge defenders.

-Rhett Ellison added 3 rec / 24 yards. One thing I have always liked about his game is the desire and constant effort as a downfield blocker. Ellison is the one guy who, every single week, he is looking to make an extra push on a defender away from the ball. He may not be the stout blocker I assumed when NYG first signed him, but he brings the team-first, blue-collar approach that I think is really important on a winning team.

OFFENSIVE LINE

-Nate Solder had a really productive game, grading out as the top lineman for NYG this week. He allowed 1 pressure and that was it. For a team that has given NYG several pass rush issues in recent years, it was a solid day from the blind side protector. Mike Remmers, on the other hand, continued to struggle. He was flagged for 2 holding penalties and allowed a pressure. He also isn’t doing a good job of cutting off backside defenders in the running game.

-Albeit it was against one of the best defensive lines in football, the interior really struggled all afternoon. Kevin Zeitler allowed a pressure and was flagged for a hold, but he did get out in space on a couple of occasions to throw key blocks on separate big gains. Will Hernandez and Jon Halapio tied for the worst grades along the OL in this one. Hernandez allowed 2 pressures and a TFL while Halapio allowed 2 pressures. Their poor performance wasn’t felt as badly because of Jones’ mobility but the communication issues and lack of lateral adjustment is something teams like MIN and NE can eat up. They need to be better, plain and simple.

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

-The three-headed monster of B.J. Hill, Dexter Lawrence, and Dalvin Tomlinson dominated the point-of-attack for most of the afternoon. They were up against three interior backups, including former NYG 1st-round bust Ereck Flowers. They were the key reason why WAS running backs Adrian Peterson and Chris Thompson combined for 2 yards per carry. Lawrence had 3 pressures, Tomlinson had 1 hurry and a half-sack, and Hill recorded 3 tackles. These guys were as stout as they’ve been all year.

-Olsen Pierre and R.J. McIntosh were on the field for some passing plays in place of Tomlinson and Hill, with Pierre being the more disruptive one. He had 2 pressures, but it was a quiet day for McIntosh.

EDGE

-Markus Golden continues his hot play after a slow start to the season. He had a half-sack and 2 pressures. While he isn’t winning off the snap often, he is proving to be a tough guy for blockers to cling onto. The mix of leverage wins and hustle make him a tough guy hold off for more than a few seconds. His speed in space was noteworthy too.

-Oshane Ximines is making impact plays each week. I think he and Carter are going to blossom into something this defense can really use for years. Ximines recorded a half-sack along with a pressure and pass break up. Let’s keep this in mind: in the last 6 games Ximines has played in (including weeks 2 and 3 of preseason), he has 5 sacks. In only one of those contests, he went sack-less. The consistency he is showing is impressive.

-Tuzar Skipper recorded a half-sack and Carter had a pressure.

LINEBACKER

-With Tae Davis and Alec Ogletree out with injuries, Ryan Connelly got the start with the green dot on his helmet. A player who has been catching the eyes of the coaching staff from the get-go, Connelly had an impactful game. He had an interception and sack to go along with 5 tackles as a key cog to stuffing the Was running game. Unfortunately, he tore his ACL as he tried to move awkwardly in reaction to Deandre Baker coming downhill on a ball carrier who was headed towards Connelly’s lower body. That late adjustment caused the injury and he is out for the year.

-David Mayo led the Giants with 8 tackles. He had a solid presence between the tackles and on contact with ball carries. He didn’t miss any tackles, which is a major, yet overlooked, part of the position. His role will undoubtedly be increased if Ogletree and Davis remain out.

CORNERBACK

-A week after arguably the worst game of Janoris Jenkins’ career, he came right back and intercepted 2 passes and tipped another that led to the Connelly INT. Jenkins, for most of his career, has been a very up-and-down corner but that has as much to do with the nature of the position as it does him as a player. If this defense turns it around long term this season, Jenkins will be in the center of it. He is a playmaker.

-Quiet day for rookie Deandre Baker, in a good way. He wasn’t tested much and he provided solid role-playing run support.

-Nickel corner Grant Haley quietly had a bad game. What I mean by that is that the struggles he put on tape didn’t end up helping WAS score, thus they won’t be discussed much. He should have been beaten for two long touchdowns by Trey Quinn, the final pick of the 2018 NFL Draft. Had It not been for poor overthrows by Keenum, this game could have gone far differently. And Haley’s job would be far less secure.

SAFETY

-A week after I discussed Jabrill Peppers needing to step his game up, he walks out of this one with the defensive game ball. He had 6 tackles, an interception returned for a touchdown, and an impressive pass break up that should have been a touchdown for WAS had it not been for the late/strong hands of Peppers. I like the attitude he brings to the table and I can’t help but smile a little bit that he got into it with Landon Collins (who has been very average for WAS) after the game. I spoke about NYG needing a leader and a playmaker on defense and Peppers is the one guy who has the upside to be both.

-Antoine Bethea and Michael Thomas did a nice job on the back end preventing deep openings. Both Haskins and Keenum were forced to tuck the ball and scramble as a result of these two keeping it tight on the back end.

SPECIAL TEAMS

-K Aldrick Rosas: 1/1(Made 30)

-P Riley Dixon: 3 punts – 55.0 avg / 53.0 net

3 STUDS

-OT Nate Solder, S Jabrill Peppers, CB Janoris Jenkins

3 DUDS

-OG Will Hernandez, RB Jon Hilliman, OT Mike Remmers

3 THOUGHTS ON WAS

1. The Miami Dolphins are the unquestioned worst-team in football. However, the Redskins aren’t far behind. If it weren’t for their really solid defensive line, it would be up for discussion. They continue to be hit by the injury bug as bad as any team in the league and it doesn’t seem they have the culture to make up for any physical shortcomings. MIA and WAS play each other on October 13 if anyone is interested in watching what Minor League Football would look like.

2. There was a lot of media pressure for WAS to put Haskins into the lineup this past week. Even though he started on the bench, he got his playing time based on a coach’s decision and I can’t say it went well. He was 9/17 with three interceptions. I thought it was interesting that Gruden did not commit to Haskins as the starter from here on out, noting that the job had to be earned. Are there work ethic issues with Haskins? Lets wait and see.

3. Watch the WAS defensive line work and you can see why this NYG trio of Lawrence-Hill-Tomlinson could be a big thing here for the next few years. While I think the WAS trio is better across the board, this is proof that they can be disruptive enough against the pass and dominant against the run to force a lot of stress on the opposing offense.

3 CLOSING THOUGHTS

1. It was good to see this team could still have a dominant win despite an overall poor offensive performance. 4 turnovers (2 by Jones) can be a tough thing to overcome but many thanks to WAS playing really bad football at this time. NYG walked away with this victory early. But don’t fool yourself into thinking this was a quality game. If NYG plays like this next week against MIN and a few days later against NE, they will be 2-4.

2. One more positive about Daniel Jones being under center for the upcoming match-up against MIN is Eli Manning won’t be under center. He was 3-6 with 5 TD / 15 INT and a 56.1 QBR against MIN over his career. By far the team that gave him the most trouble. Jones will have his work cut out for him in this one, another big test. MIN has the 6th-best defense in the league this year and they finished 4th in 2018.

3. The confidence of this defense has to be higher than its been in quite some time. In the last six quarters of football, they have allowed 6 points (zero touchdowns), they’re getting to the QB, and they are forcing turnovers. The MIN offense has been inconsistent but don’t forget the weapons they have in Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs, and Dalvin Cook. Huge barometer for the Giants, hopefully with either Davis and/or Ogletree back at ILB.