Giants Country

Giants Top Turnover-prone Washington Commanders, 31-19

New York cashes in on Commander turnovers to improve to 3-8 on the season.

Joe Najarian

Giants Top Turnover-prone Washington Commanders, 31-19
Giants Top Turnover-prone Washington Commanders, 31-19 /
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The New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito threw three touchdown passes to lead his team to a 31-19 victory over the Washington Commanders at FedExField on Sunday.

The Giants snapped a three-game losing skid, their last victory coming against the Commanders a month ago. Their 31 points tied their season-high scoring total setback in Week 2 against Arizona.

This time, the Giants, who at 3-0-1 remain unbeaten against Washington in the Brian Daboll era, did so despite enduring nine sacks and failing to record a single positive rushing yard until the last play in the third quarter.

New York also broke its streak without an offensive touchdown recorded in the first quarter when quarterback Tommy DeVito threw the first of three touchdown passes on the day, this one to running back Saquon Barkley for a 24-yard score and the game's first points. 

Despite being outgained in total yards 403-292, the Giants played arguably their most complete game of the season. Besides DeVito throwing for three touchdowns as part of an 18-for-26, 246-yard day, the Giants defense, which had ten takeaways entering this game, forced six turnovers, three of which were interceptions of Commanders quarterback Sam Howell, including the game-clinching pick-six by linebacker Isaiah Simmons.

DeVito, who held up despite being sacked nine times, finished with a sparkling 137.7 passer rating. Despite being knocked out of the game with an arm injury, wide receiver Darius Slayton was the Giants’ leading receiver with 82 yards and a touchdown on just four catches. Barkley was also a major factor; besides 83 rushing yards on 14 carries, he caught four passes for 57 yards and two touchdowns, totaling 140 yards from scrimmage.

Howell had a brutal game despite completing 31 of 45 passes for 255 yards and a touchdown. His three interceptions ultimately resulted in 10 points. His top targets were tight end Logan Thomas and running back Brian Robinson Jr., who each had 58 receiving yards; Robinson had seven receptions, while Thomas had five. 

The Commanders racked up 174 rushing yards, again led by Robinson, who had 73 on 17 carries. However, besides Howell’s three picks, the Commanders fumbled the ball four more times, losing three.

The Giants started the game with a pair of takeaways on defense. On Washington’s opening possession, Howell launched a deep pass intended for Dyami Brown, but cornerback Nick McCloud made a lunging interception on the slightly overthrown ball. 

Nov 19, 2023; Landover, Maryland, USA; New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito (15) is congratulated by fans after the game against the Washington Commanders at FedExField / Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

New York’s offense would go three-and-out, but they would get the ball back just two plays later as cornerback Cor’Dale Flott forced a fumble from Commanders tight end Logan Thomas and Xavier McKinney pounced on the loose ball. The second takeaway allowed the Giants to strike first on the scoreboard, needing just four plays to find the end zone. 

Facing 3rd-and-13 at the Washington 48-yard line, DeVito completed a deep 24-yard pass over the middle to Slayton. On the next play, DeVito fired another 24-yard strike to Barkley, who made an equally impressive catch on a perfectly thrown ball to give the Giants a 7-0 lead. It was New York’s first touchdown in the first quarter all season up to this point.

Washington responded by moving 70 yards in nine plays. Robinson Jr. hauled in an 18-yard reception and followed with an 11-yard run before Howell threw a 29-yard pass to Wilson that moved the ball to New York’s 5-yard line. 

However, the Giants’ defense made a nice red-zone stand by forcing consecutive incompletions on second and third down. This forced the Commanders to settle for Joey Slye’s 23-yard field goal to make it 7-3.

Both teams went three-and-out on their next drives, but the Giants appeared to have a good drive going after DeVito completed a 16-yard pass to Isaiah Hodgins to move the ball inside Washington territory. Unfortunately, the team could not convert a 4th-and-2 attempt on the Washington 34, as DeVito’s pass intended for Hodgins fell incomplete for a turnover on downs.

Fortunately, the offense would quickly get the ball back after the defense forced another three-and-out. This time, the Giants needed only six plays to score; an 11-yard reception by Wan’Dale Robinson moved the ball inside Washington territory, and three plays later, DeVito completed a deep pass to Slayton, who scampered off for a 40-yard touchdown and extended New York’s lead to 14-3.

The Commanders responded with a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to make it a one-score game before halftime. They picked up five first downs and faced only one third down, and Howell finished the drive himself with a 7-yard touchdown scramble. This play, however, resulted in a fight between both teams due to McKinney shoving Howell to the ground out of bounds; ultimately, this brawl resulted in the ejections of Flott and Curtis Samuel.

The second half began with a fantastic scoring opportunity for the Giants when Commanders receiver/kick returner Byron Pringle fumbled the opening kickoff. Gervarrius Owens, active for the first time in weeks, recovered for New York. Unfortunately, DeVito was sacked twice, completely pushing the Giants out of field goal range and forcing them to punt.

The Commanders responded by taking over from their 8-yard line, moving 68 yards in 13 plays, and making it a 2-point game after a 42-yard field goal by Slye.

However, the Giants would tack on 10 points in the fourth quarter thanks to another pair of takeaways on defense. The first one halted a Commanders drive into New York territory, as linebacker Bobby Okereke forced a fumble from running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. 

After linebacker Micah McFadden recovered the loose ball, New York’s offense exchanged this into a 68-yard touchdown drive in just five plays, set up by a 26-yard catch by tight end Daniel Bellinger and finished by Barkley’s 5-yard touchdown reception, his second of the game.

The second turnover was an interception by Darnay Holmes, who intercepted a deep pass from Howell intended for Jahan Dotson. On New York’s ensuing drive, a 31-yard run by Barkley set up a 36-yard field goal by Randy Bullock, extending the Giants’ lead to 12.

The Commanders refused to give up. They made it a one-possession game again with a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive assisted by a pair of Giants penalties, including a defensive offside penalty on Jihad Ward on 4th-and-1. Howell finished the drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Dotson to cut New York’s lead to five.

The Giants went three-and-out on their next drive, which gave the Commanders one last chance to engineer a game-winning drive with two minutes and one timeout to work with. As they entered Giants territory, Howell was intercepted for the third time in the game by Isaiah Simmons, who returned it 54 yards for a touchdown with 16 seconds left to put the finishing touch on the Giants’ third victory of the season.

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Joe Najarian
JOE NAJARIAN

Joe Najarian, a Rutgers University graduate, covered Rutgers Football and Rutgers Baseball during an eight-month stint with Jersey Sporting News (JSN).

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