The Washington Redskins improved to 5-2 on the season with a 20-13 win over the New York Giants, and these players were the standout performers.
It wasn’t the prettiest of wins, but the Washington Redskins improved to 5-2 on the season with a 20-13 victory over the New York Giants in Week 7. With the win, the Redskins keep their one-and-a-half game lead in the NFC East over the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
It was another superb effort by the Washington defense, as rookie running back Saquon Barkley was held to just 38 yards rushing on 13 attempts. The Giants as a team ran for 37 yards on 14 attempts. In the past three weeks, the Redskins have held Christian McCaffrey, Ezekiel Elliott and Barkley under 100 rushing yards combined. That’s a phenomenal feat and proves this defense is for real.
While Eli Manning’s final stat line looked somewhat impressive, much of that yardage came late with the game already determined. Odell Beckham did go over 100 yards receiving, however, none of that came against his former rival, Josh Norman, who did a good job on Beckham once he began traveling with him. It was Norman’s third straight solid performance after a rough start to the season.
Washington’s defense also got to Manning seven times, with Matt Ioannidis leading the team with 2.5 sacks. The consistent pressure on Manning led to two turnovers, including one D.J. Swearinger interception in the red zone that kept New York off the board. The interior pressure is key to Washington’s defensive success so far this season with Ioannidis, Jonathan Allen and Da’Ron Payne.
Here are three players who were the biggest standouts for the Redskins in their Week 8 win over the Giants.