Odell Beckham looked like he had tears in his eyes on the sideline as he threw a tantrum after an Eli Manning interception in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against the Redskins and there will definitely be more tears in Giants country as a result of the final score as well.
Su’a Cravens intercepted Manning with 1:02 left in the game to seal a 29-27 win in a game that the Giants led 21-9 in the first half. Cravens’ pick came a few plays after Dustin Hopkins put the Redskins up in the fifth lead change of the second half.
The play ended a wild afternoon that saw the Giants look good early before imploding. Three turnovers hurt their cause as did 11 penalties for 128 yards. There may not have been any fisticuffs or overt dirtiness between Beckham and Josh Norman this time, but center Weston Richburg was ejected after two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and defensive back Andrew Adams negated a blocked punt in the fourth quarter when he was flagged for a totally uncalled for and unnecessary shot to the head of a Redskins gunner well away from the play.
Washington took advantage of those self-inflicted wounds by avoiding turnovers of their own and making big plays in the passing game. DeSean Jackson caught a 44-yard touchdown from Kirk Cousins in the first half and Jamison Crowder ran away from the Giants on a 55-yard catch-and-run for a score in the third quarter, although the biggest play might have come from the arm of punter Tress Way. With the Redskins trailing late in the third, Way hit defensive back Quinton Dunbar for a 31-yard gain on a fake punt that set up a Hopkins field goal and kept the Giants from grabbing momentum.
Dunbar also made an athletic play to account for Manning’s first interception of the game and the Washington defense was able to get pressure on Manning on several key plays, including both interceptions.
The Norman-Beckham matchup lacked the shenanigans of last year and Beckham wound up with seven catches for 121 yards, but none resulted in the touchdowns the Giants couldn’t find after opening the game with three in the first 25 minutes of the game. Norman was penalized for a hit to Sterling Shepard’s head and was on the receiving end of Richburg’s disqualifying penalty, but the matchup between the leading players was a quieter one this time around.
The Redskins secondary also held up despite the losses of cornerback Bashaud Breeland and safety DeAngelo Hall to injuries, which adds up to a big win for the unit and a big win for the team as a whole.
