The New York Giants defeated the Washington Redskins 24-17 at FedEx Field on Sunday night, one week after losing a heartbreaker to the Dallas Cowboys which left them on life support.
Giants vs. Redskins 2013: Justin Tuck sacks Washington
New York kept any faint playoff hopes alive with a win on the road.
New York was able to go on the road and defeat its division rival behind Eli Manning's 235 passing yards and five sacks of Robert Griffin III. Manning, who has struggled all season with turnovers, only threw one interception while completing 22 of 28 passes on the night.
Victor Cruz led the way for the Giants receivers with six catches for 80 yards, while tight end Brandon Myers contributed five catches for 61 yards and a touchdown. On defense, it was Justin Tuck who had perhaps the best game of his career, notching four of the team's aforementioned five sacks.
Over at Big Blue View, Ed Valentine discussed the fight within the Giants to keep their season alive:
There is no doubt this team has warts. Manning threw his 18th interception of the season Sunday night. The offensive line was a sieve in pass protection, particularly left tackle Will Beatty. The defense did allowed RGIII to run 12 times for 88 yards.
The Giants kept playing, however. Eventually, Justin Tuck found his way through the awful Washington offensive line for four sacks. Damontre Moore found a way to partially block a punt after a bad snap. The offense found some rhythm despite the pass protection woes with Manning going 22-for-28 and players like Peyton Hillis (6 carries, 45 yards) and Brandon Myers (5 catches, 61 yards, 1 TD) making contributions.
As for the Redskins, the loss is simply another defeat in a long, disappointing season. Washington led this game 14-0 midway through the second quarter before completely falling apart. The Redskins rushing attack was solid, gaining 139 yards and 4.5 yards per carry on the ground, but the passing attack sputtered due to a bad showing by the offensive line.
Mark Tyler of Hogs Haven wrote about the offensive line and what a problem it has been all year:
Tyler Polumbus was beaten like a drum by Justin Tuck. Chester, Monty and Licht gave up pressure through the middle, and the Redskins offense went back to being the pedestrian unit we have seen throughout the season.
Receivers dropped passes, defenders hit our quarterback - heck, Tuck, who came into the game with just two sacks on the season, doubled that number in just one game, and Griffin lost his swagger.
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