The first two drives for the New York Giants at FedExField on Sunday summed up their past two months on the gridiron.
Drive 1: Usually sure-handed running back Shane Vereen had a ball bounce through his hands at midfield and into the waiting arms of Washington linebacker Perry Riley Jr. for an interception. Drive 2: After Eli Manning’s pass to the right sideline initially was deflected by another Washington defender, it ricocheted into the hands of wide receiver Dwayne Harris…only for Kyshoen Jarrett to jar him from the ball, popping it in the air and causing another pinball of an interception.
Literally, the New York Giants had the game in their hands early on, and they let it slip. It’s also possible, after today, the division has slipped away, into the awaiting arms of Washington.
After the New York Giants allowed Washington to jump out to a 17-0 lead before a furious fourth-quarter comeback came up just short in a 20-14 defeat, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin, having to explain yet another puzzling performance from his squad, started his press conference with what might turn out to be the leitmotif of New York’s 2015 season.
“Too little, too late.”
Just as much as Big Blue is donating the gifts they’ve received time and again from the general ineptitude of the rest of the division back, Washington, as much as they possibly can, has finally now started to take advantage of New York’s profligacy.
Washington had three interceptions of Manning, who had thrown only three picks in 333 attempts going into the season. Kirk Cousins showed his Dr. Jekyll side once again at FedExField, throwing for 302 yards and a 63-yard bomb of a touchdown to DeSean Jackson in the second quarter. (In his last five home games, Cousins is completing 76 percent of his passes with 10 touchdowns and zero interceptions.) Washington’s defense, who performs like the ’85 Bears at home and is a threat to allow 85 points when on the road, shut out the Giants and their vaunted passing attack through three quarters.
From dysfunctional, Washington is now having fun. They’re one of the toughest outs at home this season, possessing a 5-1 home record. In the Group of Life that is the NFC East, Washington, while not the most talented team, may be the most resilient, and that quality might be the number one trait needed to become champion in the division.
To accentuate the resilience shown by them, take note that the three interceptions were recorded by a linebacker who missed time last month with a calf injury, a journeyman cornerback who’s on his fifth team in his 10th NFL season and a player who was a wide receiver on the roster to start this season.
“They were momentum, and it justifies when you play with great effort, great things are going to happen” said head coach Jay Gruden, who has led Washington to five consecutive home wins in the same season for the first time since their 1991 Super Bowl-winning campaign. “I just felt the great energy on the sidelines. Home crowd had a lot to do with it. The success had a lot to do with it. I think the challenge of where we are, the division opponent – the New York Giants – had a lot to do with it.”
Of course, that’s just one game, and in this division, a team can go from exquisite-tasting champagne one week to Billy Beer the next.
“The key and the trick for us is going to be to maintain this type of momentum come Monday night.”
Monday night sees the Tony Romo-less, 3-8 Cowboys come into town. It’s now Washington’s turn to take the spin on the NFC East’s Wheel of Fortune, and, for the first time, they have the most money of any of the other competitors.
The Giants had control of the wheel for two months. Today, they landed on “Lose A Turn.” Surprisingly, after all they’ve been presented in the way of the middling play of their peers, Big Blue may not have control of the division at any other point for the rest of the season.
Does anyone want to win the division? Washington, you’re up next.
[Cover photo (Alfred Morris/Kirk Cousins) courtesy of Patrick Smith/Getty Images]
