Don't count out the New York Giants quite yet. Left for dead after losing their first two games, the G-men are suddenly back at .500 after steamrolling Washington on Thursday night. Eli Manning threw for four touchdowns and ran for another, the defense picked off Kirk Cousins four times and the Giants cruised to a 45-14 win on the road.
Giants vs. Washington 2014 final score: 3 things we learned in New York’s 45-14 blowout win
Manning and his new offense put on a clinic against an overmatched Washington defense as the Giants eased to a 45-14 win.
A New York offense that looked alarmingly similar to last year's helpless version just two weeks ago piled up 449 total yards and put up its highest point total since Dec. 9, 2012. Manning threw three first-half touchdowns to tight end Larry Donnell to head into the half up, 24-7. A 20-yard scoring run by Alfred Morris on the opening drive of the third quarter cut the deficit to 10 and threatened to make it a ball game, but consecutive interceptions by Cousins allowed New York to cruise out to a comfortable margin.
Here are the three things we learned from the blowout:
1) Eli Manning is getting the hang of this new offense.
There were question marks coming into the season about Manning's ability to adapt to Ben McAdoo's West Coast scheme. In fact, McAdoo's scheme is so incongruous with Manning's methodical, downfield style that some Giants players believed it was designed for the eventual takeover of Ryan Nassib -- and they loomed even larger after the offense plodded through a rough couple of games. But after the last two outings, Manning looks as though he's been running it his entire life.
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.
Eli did have one pick, but it came on a fluky deflection on a ball that should have been caught by Rueben Randle for a touchdown. He finished 28 for 39 and 300 yards.
The offense kept the pocket clean and the running game provided 154 yards on the ground. If this offense can keep playing like this, Eli could be in for a major bounce-back year.
2) Larry Donnell is the truth.
Back in early August, Ed Valentine of Giants blog Big Blue View wrote the following:
It seems more and more apparent that the Giants will have to scour the waiver wire or explore the trade market for someone who can be a consistent pass-catching option at tight end.
You can hold off on that waiver wire search. Donnell had three touchdowns receptions before the two minute mark of the first half on Thursday night.
That’s no shot at Valentine -- nobody saw Donnell, an undrafted free agent who was playing on the Giants practice squad two years ago, exploding onto the scene like this. He now has four scores on the season and leads the team in receptions.
3) Washington has a quarterback controversy ... for all the wrong reasons.
The story line in the nation's capital isn't progressing as planned. Kirk Cousins was supposed to come off the bench and force the organization to question its commitment to Robert Griffin III with a brilliant stretch of play. Instead, he threw four picks in the second half on Thursday.
It's far too early to write Cousins off; he threw for 427 yards and three touchdowns against the Eagles just last week. But this is nevertheless a concerning development. There's legitimate concern whether RGIII will ever be healthy long enough to develop into a franchise passer, and if the answer isn't Cousins, who is?
If nothing else, a poor showing by Cousins over the next few weeks will make things interesting if and when Griffin is able to return this season. Washington would have a quarterback controversy on it’s hands alright, just not the kind the team wanted.
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