New York Giants Overcome Washington Redskins Behind Eli Manning’s Fourth-Quarter Heroics by Louis Musto

Just when you think the New York Giants are out of it, Eli Manning reminds you of why you should never doubt the clutch quarterback when he is in his element. With 1:13 remaining in the fourth quarter and trailing the Washington Redskins 23-20, Manning found Victor Cruz wide open – deep down the field – for a 77-yard touchdown strike. This would prove to be the deciding factor in a 27-23 victory for the team.

The win was a much-needed lift for a Giants team that, despite leading the NFC East race, had lost their first two divisional contests of the season. Having failed to cushion their lead on the two offensive drives before Cruz’s big score  — in part because of questionable play calling by offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride — the cards seemed to be stacked against the division leaders.

“Something we’ve been really good at over the years is the two-minute drive when the game’s on the line and making plays when we need to make plays,” Manning said, via Giants.com. “I had good protection, I was able to put it up there and he ran under it to go get the touchdown.  That was a huge play.”

Manning’s impressive connection with Cruz late in the game was marred by two foolish interceptions prior to the touchdown. On the first, Manning simply overthrew the wide out on a pass down the middle of the field that was corralled by Redskins cornerback Josh Wilson. The other was a misread by the Giants’ gunslinger and was snatched out of the air by Washington linebacker Rob Jackson.

Washington’s rookie quarterback Robert Griffin, III had his biggest game to date — and that’s saying something; leading the team in a fantastic comeback attempt that narrowly fell short. He completed 20 of 28 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 89 yards on nine carries.

“That’s the best quarterback we’ve played this year, for sure. It’s just unfortunate that he’s a rookie,” Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora said, via Giants.com. “He’s going to be around here forever, doing stuff like that. That’s just crazy.”

Griffin’s performance was not flawless, however. He threw a third-quarter interception to Giants’ safety Stevie Brown, which eventually resulted in a touchdown run by Ahmad Bradshaw and gave New York a 20-13 lead in the fourth quarter. He also fumbled what could have been a costly turnover. Fortunately for the opposition, a Manning interception handed the football right back to Griffin and the Redskins.

Washington took the lead with under two minutes remaining in the game on a 30-yard touchdown pass to veteran receiver Santana Moss. The connection was his second of the day, but the go-ahead score left too much time for Manning and the Giants’ offense to work their magic.

“We’ve got play-makers all over the field,” Giants receiver Hakeem Nicks said, via Giants.com. “I know somebody is going to get left open, somebody is going to make a play. That’s what we believe as an offense and we know what we are capable of doing.”

The game was a constant seesaw battle, deadlocked at 13-13 at halftime. Each team’s defenses came to play in the second half, both proving to be much stronger units than they had been earlier in the game.

New York sacked Griffin three times with its big three of Jason Pierre-Paul, Umenyiora and Justin Tuck all getting good hits on the quarterback. Their pressure often forced RGIII to play on the run and, despite getting passes off successfully, he took some punishing hits.

Because of some strange play-calling from Gilbride, New York missed opportunities to close the door on the Redskins during a couple of early fourth-quarter drives. Rather than run the ball and take time off the clock, the offensive coordinator called for the pass and both drives — one of which ended in a turnover — halted because of it. Meanwhile, the defense struggled to force the Redskins off of the field, unacceptably allowing them to convert fourth downs and grab the lead.

However, following the Giants’ go-ahead score on their final legitimate offensive drive, the defense stripped Santana Moss of the football and took away any chance for Griffin to lead the Redskins to a comeback.

“Our defense did a great job of getting turnovers all day and some key stops, so it was a big win today,” Manning said.

The come-from-behind victory was Manning’s second of the season and his ninth since Week 3 of 2011. His prowess in the clutch is the reason the Giants can never be counted out of any game and why they continue to be one of the NFL’s best teams.

After a shaky start, the quarterback connected with Cruz on seven passes for 131 yards and that aforementioned game-winning touchdown. This lethal quarterback/wide out combination continues to be an unstoppable threat for opposing defenses.

Manning was sacked by the Redskins’ defense for the first time in 149 pass attempts but he continues to be one of the most well-protected quarterbacks in the league. Such pass protection will be vital as the Giants head into the fourth divisional battle of the season – against the Dallas Cowboys – to whom they lost at home in Week One, 24-17.

Louis Musto is a contributor for the Sports Journey Broadcast Network covering the NFL and NBA. You can follow him on Twitter @LouisMusto.