LANDOVER, Md. – In the third quarter, Kirk Cousins threw a ball to the outside intended for Maurice Harris. Harris slipped, but the ball was caught by Giants corner back Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. That one wasn’t on Cousins.
Later in the 4th qaurter, with one last drive to either tie or win the game, Cousins was picked off again…by Rodgers-Cromartie. In the grand scheme of things, Cousins will finish the season with 4, 917 yards, but it will be the interception that is ingrained in ‘Skins fans heads, and most likely Cousins’ until next season.
Washington (8-7-1) was shut out in the first half, only garnering 284 yards total for the game. Cousins went 22-of-35 for 287 yards, but was sacked four times for a loss of 41 yards. Now, you can do the math and figure out that the running game was a no-show for the ‘Skins again. As a committee, Washington gained 38 yards on the ground on 15 attempts.
The Giants starters played the entire game. Eli Manning threw for 180 yards on 17-of-27 passing, and Odell Beckham was held in check with five catches for 44 yards. It was the run game where the Giants made a living on the evening. New York ran for a season-high 161 yards as a team, with the Redskins getting a dose of their own medicine; a rookie running back (Paul Perkins) rushing for 100 yards.
Pierre Garcon led the Redskins receivers with four catches for 96 yards. There will be a lot of questions that need to be answered this offseason, and whether Garcon will be back in burgundy and gold again will be one of them. The same goes for DeSean Jackson, who caught only two passes for 34 yards.
The Redskins defense was better, and kept the struggling offense in the game, but they were on the field for too long. The Giants ate up 35 minutes of the clock compared to Washington’s 24.
The Redskins finish their second straight season with a winning record, but this time fail to advance to the playoffs.