There hasn’t been much to like about the Giants this season, but at least they have Odell Beckham to smile about.
Beckham continued his tremendous rookie season with 12 catches for 143 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Giants to a 24-13 victory that guarantees that they won’t fall behind the Redskins in the final standings this season. It was Beckham’s seventh straight game with at least 90 receiving yards, which is a new rookie record, and he is also now the Giants’ leader for receiving yards as a rookie.
He also proved to be fallible when he muffed a punt with nine seconds left in the game, but that hardly mattered after he carried the Giants on his back all afternoon.
Beckham was pretty much the only thing to like about the Giants offense on Sunday and his numbers should also include some note of how he helped draw several penalties on cornerback Bashaud Breeland and one on long snapper Nick Sundberg that helped the Giants make up for their otherwise toothless attack. Those penalties, along with Santana Moss’s ejection, were signs of an almost total lack of discipline for the Redskins on a day that briefly looked like it was going their way.
Robert Griffin III replaced Colt McCoy in the first quarter when McCoy re-injured his neck and threw a touchdown pass that put his club in the lead. Griffin looked like he extended that lead with a rushing score as time expired in the first half, but officials ruled that he lost possession on his way into the end zone and didn’t regain it before going out of bounds. That led to a furious response from Moss, which caused his ejection and penalties that allowed the Giants to kick off from Redskins territory.
The Giants opted for an onside kick and recovered it, leading to a field goal that tied the game. The Redskins briefly regained the lead after a short catch by Andre Roberts turned into a 61-yard gain that set up a field goal. The Washington offense faltered from there and Griffin finished the day 18-of-27 for 236 yards while also running for 46.
That’s better production than we’ve seen from him this year, but there were still negatives. He was sacked seven times, some which came after he held the ball too long, and fumbled three time. Washington recovered all three, but these are well-established issues at this point. McCoy’s health will determine whether or not Griffin gets another chance if Gruden has been sincere about his reasons for starting McCoy, but it was a day when other Washington issues played leading roles in their demise.