Giants vs. Washington: New York cruises to 45-14 road win

After the game, head coach Jay Gruden refused to lay blame for the blowout at the feet of his third-year quarterback, per the Washington Post.

Cousins admitted to pressing for a big play as the contest wore on, especially once Washington began to fall behind by a considerable margin.

Paul’s injury was especially scary. Coming into the game as Washington’s leading receiver, Paul caught a pass down the deep seam of the field before being crushed by safety Quintin Demps. Paul lost control of the ball on impact and stayed down for several moments with his arms stiffly up in the air. The good news is Paul was able to walk off the field, albeit slowly with trainers at his side.

Here are the three things we learned from the blowout:

Manning was crisp with his reads and even crisper with his accuracy, completing 12 of his first 13 passes (and that one incompletion was a drop) as he carried over his newfound ability to carve up defenses underneath with quick, rhythm throws. He hasn’t lost his touch on those deep passes either -- save for a couple of overthrows, he delivered dimes when called upon to push the ball downfield.

Paul’s hands extended stiff in front of him for a few moments after the hit, suggesting he was knocked unconscious.

The ball came lose at the end, but officials ruled Paul controlled the catch to the ground. Demps was flagged for an illegal hit and 15 yards were tacked on.

The G-men had their most impressive performance of the season on both sides of the ball in Week 3, racking up a season-high 419 yards on offense while the defense forced three turnovers and held the Texans to just 2-of-12 on third downs. A 1-2 record is no reason to celebrate for the Giants, but there is definitely optimism that this team is capable of making the playoffs after missing the postseason the past two years.

Where: FedEx Field, Landover, Md.

Fantasy Impact: Even when it came out that Jackson was questionable, most figured that he would be active for this game. This report is solid-enough confirmation that fantasy owners should feel comfortable giving Jackson the start. The Giants aren’t particularly good, and the pass defense is middling at best. Jackson could be primed for a big game, especially if his play against Philadelphia is an indication of how he performs while injured.

New York broke through with a win last week at home against Houston, but it might still be too early to trust the Giants on the road. Washington is a 3.5-point favorite according to sports books monitored by OddsShark.com and should be able to win and cover with the offense clicking well.

New York at Washington begins at 8:25 p.m. ET on Thursday night at FedEx Field.

A feeling that management had decided the countdown was on and instant for Manning, like it one day occurs for every NFL player. A stinging reminder that the identity on the front of a Giants jersey always stays the same, but the name on the back must forever change.

You can call it the brutal business of football, the natural sometimes nasty evolution of the game, or pure fantasy in the locker room, but players see the now, feel the now and make their own sense of the moment.