New York Giants hold back Washington Commanders and close to decisive playoff birth; Kaiwon Thibodeau shines with strip bag touchdown, Saquon Barkley adds a quick count as the Giants beat rivals NFC East away
Kaivon Thibodeau and quarterback Daniel Jones shone as New York bolstered their playoff hopes by beating the Washington Commanders 20-12 Sunday after a goal line stand that ended in a questionable call-out.
Thibodeau was hit in the eye during the last game of significance when Darnay Holmes passed to Curtis Samuel, which could have been a hindrance to the pass.
Instead of being a flag, the botched fourth-fault conversion wrecked Washington’s chances and New York’s four-game no-win streak and helped the Dallas Cowboys make the playoffs despite losing in Jacksonville. Now, the Giants only need to win one of their last three games to qualify for the tournament, and as early as Saturday they can nail down wins and losses against Seattle and Detroit.
Jones, 0-9 in his first nine prime-time games for the Giants (8-5-1), who have lost 11 straight in such situations, stringed shots through tight windows to beat the Commanders (7-6-1). one). with his hand rather than running around Washington like he did in many of their previous meetings. He was 21 of 32 for 160 yards and engineered an 18-game touchdown in the second quarter, which started at three and lasted 8:35.
Saquon Barkley completed that shot by running three yards into the end zone on a straight flick. Holding 39 yards on 12 carries in the first three quarters, Barkley more than doubled his tally on the final throw, which ended with a Graham Gano field goal to finish with 87 yards.
| FIRST QUARTER | |
| Giants 0-3 commanders | Joey Sly 41-yard field goal |
| SECOND QUARTER | |
| Giants 7-3 commanders | Kaiwon Thibodeau, One-Yard Return Fumble, TD (extra point) |
| Giants 14-3 commanders | Saquon Barkley 3 Yd Run TD (extra point) |
| THIRD QUARTER | |
| Giants 14-9 commanders | Taylor Heinicke 19-yard TD to Jahan Dotson (two-point conversion omitted) |
| Giants 17-9 commanders | Graham Gano 50-yard field goal |
| FOURTH QUARTER | |
| Giants 17-12 commanders | Joey Sly 51 yards from the field |
| Giants 20-12 commanders | Graham Gano 50-yard field goal |
Washington’s loss, just the second in nine games, puts the Commanders in a tougher position but keeps them in playoff position, polygames ahead of the Seahawks and Lions.
Heinicke fumbled the ball again at New York’s nine-yard line with six minutes left in the fourth quarter due to a play that Daboll correctly challenged. He was 17 of 29 for 249 yards, passing a touchdown to Jahan Dotson.
Terry McLaurin threw six for 70 yards, passing the 1,000-yard mark for the third straight season and becoming the first Washington player to do so since Henry Ellard in 1994-96. McLaurin was flagged for misforming on Washington’s last pass, when the ball moved from the 1st line to the six-yard line, one of the few penalties that the captains didn’t like.
Giants Defender Kaiwon Thibodeau: “Nothing is a coincidence. This is not a coincidence.
