Giants defeat Redskins, 41-35: Instant analysis

Instant analysis of the New York Giants 41-35 victory over the Washington Redskins that may have cost the team a shot at Chase Young.

The New York Giants and Washington Redskins, two 3-11 teams playing on the under-card in the NFC East on Sunday, put on a wild and entertaining show. If you didn’t know any better, you would never have figured that this game was for last place.

Considering the loser had a lot to gain, both teams played to win — on offense anyway. The defenses were lax most of the game surrendering a combined 913 yards.

Rookie quarterbacks Daniel Jones of the Giants and the Redskins’ Dwayne Haskins traded scores twice in the first half before the Giants’ defense stepped in and made two consecutive stops while the offense scored on two of the next three possessions to take a 28-14 halftime lead.

The showdown only lasted a half, though. Haskins was carted off after suffering an ankle injury on the first series of the second half. Haskins was sandwiched by Giants linebackers Markus Golden and Lorenzo Carter.

However, Washington picked things up a bit under quarterback Case Keenum. They narrowed the score to 35-28 in the early fourth quarter and then in the final minutes threatened to tie it.

The Redskins took possession of the football at their own one yard-line with 6:28 remaining in the fourth quarter and drove the 99 yards to tie the score with 29 seconds remaining.

In overtime, the Giants won the toss and went 66 yards in 11 plays for the winning touchdown when Jones hit tight end Kaden Smith on a three-yard strike to end it.

Jones had a monster of game (28/42, 352 yards and 5 touchdowns), returning to action after missing two games with a high ankle sprain.

Saquon Barkley finally went off with 189 yards rushing and another 90 receiving. He had two Barkley-like plays in the first half, a 67-yard ramble for a TD…

…and a 33-yard reception for another score.

Notes

  • Right tackle Mike Remmers left the game in the second quarter with a concussion and was replaced by Nick Gates. Inside linebacker and defensive captain Alec Ogletree was taken out of the game with a back injury during the Giants’ first defensive series and did not return.
  • Rookie wide receiver Darius Slayton injured his knee in the first half but eventually came back into the game in the fourth quarter.
  • Markus Golden …. first Giants player since 2014 (Jason Pierre-Paul – 12.5) to record at least 10.0 sacks in a season and the first Giants linebacker with double-digit sacks since Lawrence Taylor had 10.5 in 1990.
  • Daniel Jones became only the third rookie quarterback to throw four or more touchdowns in three games. Fran Tarkenton (Minnesota, 1961) and Deshaun Watson (Houston, 2017) are the others.

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Giants defeat Redskins, but likely lose Chase Young in the process

The New York Giants defeated the Washington Redskins in overtime in Week 16, but likely missed out on drafting Chase Young in the process.

The New York Giants and Washington Redskins squared off in a Week 16 game they both needed to lose in order to have a shot at edge rusher Chase Young in the 2020 NFL Draft, so naturally, both teams came out on fire.

Rookie quarterbacks Daniel Jones and Dwayne Haskins were nearly flawless out of the gate, lighting up the opposing defense in an early tit-for-tat that was unusually exciting for two bottom dwellers.

The Giants struck first, scoring on their opening series of the game when Jones hit wide receiver Sterling Shepard from 23 yards out. They then went on to score on their next two series — a 67-yard rushing touchdown by Saquon Barkley and a 33-yard touchdown pass from Jones to Barkley — before finally being forced to punt late in the second quarter.

Then, just prior to halftime, the Giants scored again, this time on a 10-yard touchdown from Jones to wide receiver Cody Latimer.

But Haskins and the Redskins certainly weren’t shut out. Like the Giants, they scored on their opening series of the game when Haskins hit wide receiver Steven Sims Jr. from 10 yards out.

The Redskins also scored on their second series of the game — a six-yard pass from Haskins to tight end Hale Hentges — but that would be all she wrote in the first half.

Washington couldn’t get anything else going on their final three offensive drives and went into halftime trailing the Giants, 28-14.

Thing noticeably slowed down in the third quarter as Haskins and offensive tackle Morgan Moses went down with what appeared to be serious injuries for the Redskins. However, after the two teams exchanged punts and Case Keenum came on to replace Haskins, the brief stalemate was broken.

Keenum connected with Sims Jr. on a seven-yard pass with 6:38 remaining in the quarter to pull Washington within one score, but Jones, who had arguably his best performance of the season, quickly got those points back with a nine-yard pass to tight end Kaden Smith.

Entering the fourth quarter, the Giants led 35-21.

The Redskins refused to fade however, blocking a Riley Dixon punt to open the fourth quarter and immediately capitalized on it, benefiting from a DeAndre Baker pass interference penalty and riding Adrian Peterson in from one-yard out.

After a missed Aldrick Rosas field goal and and a series of exchanged punts, the Redskins were watching time slowly tick away and their chances at Chase Young improve. It was a precarious position for both teams, but they were clearly playing to win.

Despite being pinned at the one-yard line with 6:41 remaining, Keenum turned things up a notch and seemingly willed the Redskins back into the game, driving them all the way to the opposing three-yard line and a fourth-and-goal with just seconds remaining.

Although the final pass fell incomplete, rookie cornerback Corey Ballentine was called for pass interference, giving the Redskins new life and putting the ball at the one-yard line with :37 remaining.

Keenum, who had been a magician on the drive, fumbled at the goal line, but it was recovered by a Redskins teammate. After a review, the ruling of a touchdown was upheld. And with the score sitting at 35-34, Washington gave thought to going for a two-point conversation, but instead opted for a PAT and a tie with :29 remaining.

The Giants positioned themselves for a 61-yard field goal or hail mary with one two ticks on the clock remaining, ultimately deciding for the latter. The Jones chuck-and-duck fell short, sending a wild game into overtime.

After winning the toss, Jones & Co. wasted little time driving the ball back down the field and putting themselves into scoring position within the blink of an eye. And rather than settling for a field goal and hoping for the best, they punched it in — a three-yard touchdown pass from Jones to Smith — and walked away victorious, 41-35.

With the win, the Giants improve to 4-11 on the season and potentially put themselves out of range to select Chase Young in the 2020 NFL Draft. They will close out their season at home against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17.

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The Redskins’ have gone since Week 1 without scoring on their first drive

Washington kicked off the 2019 season with a quick score, but since then, the offense has been stuck in the mud and unable to do much early.

For the majority of the 2019 season, the Washington Redskins’ offense has been largely the reason why they’re unable to find much success.

Of course, there were a few weeks at the beginning of the season where Case Keenum and the Redskins were averaging over 20 points per game, and it was their defense that was worthy of the blame, as they gave up an average of 30.2 points per game through the first five weeks. Still, since then, the offense has been the reason for failure.

Since Week 3, when Washington scored 15 points against the Bears, they have been held under 20 points in 9 straight games, averaging just over 10 points per game. The offense has been stuck in the mud all season, and there’s largely one reason for it.

According to a piece from NBC Sports Washington, much of that ineptitude can be pinpointed to an inability to score points on the opening drive of a game.

In Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington drove down the field and scored on the very first drive of the season. Since then, they’ve gone every game this year without scoring a touchdown or even a field goal on the opening possession. If there’s one thing that the Redskins can do in order to put themselves in the best position to win, it’s moving the ball early in the game, and rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins knows that.

“Just trying to figure out a way we can move the ball early, not getting behind the chains, finding lanes and getting the ball out fast,” Haskins said, via NBC Sports Washington. “It helps our defense when we come off fast and move the ball down the field and not put them in a tough scenario with having a short field.”

There are obviously many problems that are in need of fixing in Washington, but one of the most pertinent should be getting off to a hot start when the plays are scripted and everyone should be on the same page. If the Redskins can find a way to get on the board early, it puts their defense in a better position to gain some momentum, and it will help to get Haskins and the offense into a rhythm.

You want to implement changes that have an immediate effect? You start there. The fans have more fun, the team has more fun, and it just might lead to a few victories as well.

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Case Keenum is playing the role of Aaron Rodgers at Redskins practice

Case Keenum has a tough task at Redskins practice this week.

Here’s a fun note from Washington Redskins practices this week — Case Keenum is playing Aaron Rodgers.

A backup emulating the opposing quarterback for that week as a member of the scout team isn’t too out of the ordinary. But it comes off as a somewhat funny one here as the Redskins defense tries to prep for one of the best passers of this generation.

Keenum, relegated to a backup role behind rookie Dwayne Haskins as the season winds down, has been charged with mixing up cadences and tempo in order to prep the Washington defense.

Asked about this prep, interim head coach Bill Callahan has had nothing but praise:

The Redskins defense has improved over the last two weeks, limiting opponents to a maximum of 21 points. But traveling to see Green Bay and Rodgers is a whole different sort of task, with Keenum poised to get plenty of credit if the defense plays well.

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Bills opponent outlook: Broncos history, statistics and more

The 7-3 Buffalo Bills meet the 3-7 Denver Broncos this Sunday at New Era Field.

Denver Broncos quarterback Brandon Allen. Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

The 7-3 Buffalo Bills meet the 3-7 Denver Broncos this Sunday at New Era Field. Buffalo is riding high after it’s best offensive endeavor of the season against the Dolphins in Week 11. Denver is one of the better teams in the NFL with a sub .500 record, and will be a handful to compete against.

Here is everything that you need to know about the history between Denver and Buffalo:

  • Buffalo and Denver first met on September 18, 1960 in the inaugural season of the AFL. Denver won that game 27-21.
  • Buffalo won nine straight against Denver between 1962 and 1967.
  • Buffalo and Denver met in the 1991 AFC Championship Game. The Bills narrowly defeated the Broncos 10-7.
  • Their last meeting was on September 24, 2017. The Bills won 26-16.
  • The Bills have the all-time record lead, at 20-16-1 against Denver in the regular season.
  • The Bills also lead in scoring all-time versus Denver, outscoring them 891-818

2018 Season

Denver, much like this year, was a relatively competitive team in 2018, despite their record. Case Keenum was signed in the offseason, in hopes to solidify their quarterback woes since Peyton Manning retired. It wasn’t enough, as the Broncos offense didn’t have a lot of star power, and the defense, although very talented, gave up some losses for them.

Denver finished the season 6-10, missing the playoffs for the third-straight year. They earned wins over Seattle, Arizona, Oakland, Cincinnati, Los Angeles (Chargers), and Pittsburgh.

Another disappointing season for General Manager John Elway, who would look to bring about more change following the 2018 year.

Last season, Denver finished 19th in Total Offense, with 5,602 yards. 24th in scoring, with 329 points. 19th in passing yards with 3,695 and 12th in rushing with 1,907 yards.

Case Keenum, coming off of his miracle season with the Minnesota Vikings, actually threw for a few more yards with Denver. His touchdown to interception ratio is what hurt him and his tenure, as he was traded to Washington after his year with the Broncos was over.

Keenum was ranked 14th in passing yards in 2018, with 3,890 yards to his credit, along with 18 touchdowns to 15 interceptions.

Rushing was a strong point for Denver in 2018,. After losing C.J. Anderson, who had regressed, quarterback wasn’t the only hole that the Broncos faced. Led by drafted rookie Royce Freeman, and undrafted rookie Philip Lindsay. One of the more underrated one-two punches in the NFL, the pair finished very well, and helped carry struggling offense.

Lindsay finished the highest as far as yardage, ranking ninth in the NFL amongst rushers, with 1,037 yards. He also accrued nine rushing touchdowns. His backfield partner, Freeman, finished 38th in rushing yards, with 521 and five touchdowns.

Receiving hasn’t been one of Denver’s strong aspects either, as they have lost a few weapons over the years since Manning left. Emmanuel Sanders was their leading receiver in 2018, finishing 27th with 868 yards and four touchdowns.

Emerging receiver Courtland Sutton, was next in yardage totals at the receiver position, with 704. He came in at 51st in the NFL. No other Broncos receiver or tight end finished in the Top 100.

Defensively, the Broncos were 13th in total defense, allowing 5,842 yards, as well as in points allowed with 349 points scored on them. Their passing defense came in 20th, giving up 3,929 yards by air. The rush defense, 12th with 1,913 yards given up on the ground.

2019 So Far

Are the Redskins the least likely NFL team to sign Colin Kaepernick?

The Redskins will attend Colin Kaepernick’s workout on Saturday, but there’s approximately a zero percent chance that they ever sign him.

Some major news came out in the NFL this week and a major story subsequently broke yesterday in Washington. The NFL announced that quarterback Colin Kaepernick would be holding a private workout for all 32 teams this Saturday in Atlanta, and the Redskins announced on Wednesday that they would be sending a scout to the workout.

So what does that mean… would the Redskins actually consider signing Kaepernick if he looks good on Saturday?

No. It’s not going to happen. In fact, USA Today recently ranked the 32 NFL teams from most-likely to least-likely to bring in the free-agent QB who hasn’t played since 2017, and the Redskins come in all the way at No. 32.

They were 6-3 last season on the day starting QB Alex Smith suffered his horrible leg injury. But rather than call Kaepernick, team brass opted for Colt McCoy, Mark Sanchez and Josh Johnson and a downward spiral. With first-rounder Dwayne Haskins now installed as the starter and a high draft pick assuredly coming down the pike no matter how well Haskins plays, no chance the ‘Skins change course.

Not only do the Redskins currently have a semblance of a plan at the QB spot, but they also are likely the last franchise that Kaepernick — a social justice warrior — would play for, considering that their mascot has been seen as a racist symbol by many groups in the nation.

The Redskins will be in attendance at the workouts, but they have a zero percent chance of signing him.

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