Instant Analysis of Redskins 20-13 win over Giants

While parts of today’s Washington Redskins game against the New York Giants wasn’t pretty much of the time, the Redskins fought hard throughout the entire contest. They battled through penalties, mistakes and miscues and, in the end, left MetLife Stadium with a win and a 5-2 record in the NFC East Division for the first time in many years. To follow is an instant analysis of that 20-13 victory.

This matchup’s story is twofold: 1) RB Adrian Peterson and 2) the Redskins defense (especially safety D.J. Swearinger and DL Matt Ioannidis)

At times, the Redskins offense looked like the 4-2 team that they are with the offensive line blocking at a Pro Bowl level and RB Adrian Peterson running like the future Hall-of-Famer that he is. But too often, it did not.

Smith & Co. made a few nice plays in the game, with Peterson running the ball effectively and tight end Jordan Reed having his way with the Giants linebackers (a couple of times). Paul Richardson, Jr. had a few nice catches and Josh Doctson did as well. The Redskins scored early again, taking a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

But there were some head-scratching offensive drives as well with Smith throwing the ball too early (one time it hit Reed in the shoulder before he’d finished his route) and, for a time after LT Trent Williams went out of the game (thumb), seeing the QB under too much pressure.

After the first touchdown, there was a surprising missed field goal by kicker Dustin Hopkins, a made 53-yard field goal by the kicker and then a glorious 64-yard run by Peterson to score the game-winning touchdown with 3:16 left in the game to make it 20-6.

On the last TD, the play-call was perfect, the blocking by the offensive line was outstanding and the effort by A.P. was a sight to behold.

They played hard and played together.

The defensive unit was relentless, harassing and sacking Giants QB Eli Manning persistently and stuffing New York’s stud rookie RB Saquon Barkley when he got the ball.

Safety D.J. Swearinger logged another INT in the second quarter, reading New York QB Eli Manning accurately and being in the right place at the right time. The safety recorded another pick later in the game as well.

Defensive coordinator Greg Manusky’s front seven were stellar for most of the game. Defensive linemen Jon Allen and Matt Ioannidis were already gelling last season but adding Daron Payne produced a trio made in heaven. Combining them with OLBs Ryan Kerrigan and Preston Smith made for a rough day for Manning. He had no pocket for much of the game.

Given the collapse up front, it’s no wonder that LBs Mason Foster and Zach Brown were able to contain Barkley’s run game so well. A few times the youngsters in the secondary had some issues but they kept fighting. Former Hokie Greg Stroman, once again on duty because of CB Quinton Dunbar’s nerve injury, had a couple of gaffes that were costly but he kept battling. It’s not as if covering Odell Beckham, Jr. and/or Saquon Barkley are easy tasks and the rookie will likely continue to improve through his adversity.

No doubt, Redskins fans were sweating as the game moved into the fourth quarter and the score was still just 10-3 but, even after the Giants had decreased Washington’s lead to one score, the defense just turned up the heat.

A Daron Payne sack with 8:00-plus minutes left in the game derailed what might have been a Giants’ game-tying drive and New York punted. From then on, most folks watching should have known that Manusky’s group was not going to let the game get away. Watching them play prevent defense there in the last minutes of the game – as opposed to it being the other way around — must have been gratifying for fans.

Notes:

• In defense of Redskins QB Alex Smith and some of his errant throws, his Pro Bowl left tackle (Trent Williams) did leave the game early with an injured thumb and backup swing tackle Ty Nsekhe filled in for him. Nsekhe is very, very good but he’s not Williams. Later in the game, that O-line did some amazing things, especially guard Brandon Scherff.
• Reed put a great move on NY LB Nate Stupar late in the third quarter for a first down in the red zone. It was a sight to behold and was a good indicator of what a nightmare Reed is to defenders. Unfortunately, Peterson fumbled on the next play and Smith finally ran down Giants OLB Olivier Vernon after a 43-yard return.
• Punter Tress Way is a beast. He was hit on a punt late in the game and limped off the field. Kicker Dustin Hopkins was going to take the next punt but Way waved him off the field and boomed a beautiful punt down the field just minutes later. Look for him in the Pro Bowl. To make things even better for him, the Special Teams unit is better, overall, than it has been in years, including Dustin Hopkins (despite his missed FG).
• The Redskins front seven are legitimate. Ioannidis had 2.5 sacks, four QB hits and two tackles for losses. OLB Ryan Kerrigan logged 1.5 sacks, two QB hits and a tackle for loss. Preston Smith had a tackle for loss and a pass defended. Daron Payne registered a sack, a hit and a tackle for loss as did his former Alabama teammate (Allen).
• Safety D.J. Swearinger continues to prove he is a Pro Bowl contender, at the least. He was all over things today and logged two interceptions and three passes defended. He is a vocal leader that has become the glue that keeps the Redskins  secondary together and motivated.
• The tackling in this game was remarkable. LB Mason Foster led the team with 13 (nine solo and one for loss) with Zach Brown recording six tackles (three solo) and a pass defended. LB Josh Harvey-Clemons even had a sack and a QB hit.
• Once again, Peterson amazed the world, not only rushing in this game for 149 yards on six carries (5.7 ypc average) and a touchdown, he passed Hall of Fame RB Tony Dorsett’s all-time rushing yards in the second quarter is now ninth on that list.
• Alex Smith’s situational stats are better on paper than they look during games (as in on third down). I’ll wait to post stats until after the ones for this game are all out but, there’s hope. That said, the offense needs to fix the passing game. Smith recorded just 178 yards on 20 of 32 completed passes but he did rush a few times for much-needed yards at times.

Next up is the 3-4 Atlanta Falcons at home (they’re on a bye this weekend).