Friday, 25 September 2015

NFL - Giants 33 - 21 Redskins


The New York Giants notched their first victory of the season as they held firm in the fourth quarter to beat the Washington Redskins 33-21.

The Giants had fallen apart in the fourth quarter in defeats to Dallas and Atlanta in their opening two games, but this time they dominated most of the action against the injury-plagued Redskins.

They scored in nearly every way possible, beginning with running back Rashad Jennings blocking Tress Way's punt for a safety on Washington's opening series.

Andre Williams scored on a one-yard run, Josh Brown kicked three field goals, and Odell Beckham Jr made a 30-yard touchdown catch to settle matters.

Rueben Randle also had a 41-yard TD catch in the closing minutes, after which Washington's Rashad Ross returned the kick-off 101 yards for the final score.

Washington, who have now lost five successive games to the Giants, posted field goals of 44 and 37 yards from Dustin Hopkins, but any thoughts of a comeback ended when Matt Jones fumbled on his way into the end zone with just under 10 minutes remaining.

A late four-yard TD pass to Chris Thompson and two-point conversion reduced the deficit to 11 before Randle made his scoring catch to settle any New York nerves.

Giants quarterback Eli Manning, who had struggled in key situations in the two losses to the Cowboys and Falcons, was coolly efficient, finishing 23 of 31 for 279 yards, while Beckham had seven receptions for 79 yards, and Randle had seven for 116.

"We needed a win bad," Manning said. "We've been in there at the end and weren't able to hold on, so that was our emphasis tonight: win the fourth quarter."

Jennings added: "It's definitely important to get a win. I'm reluctant to use the word confidence, but it puts assurance on everything we know we're capable of accomplishing."




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