Giants' Opportunistic Defense Jumpstarts New York's Win over Redskins

Eli Manning and the New York Giants offense finished Thursday night's rout of the Washington Redskins with 45 points, but the unsung hero of the game was their defense. 

While the Giants defense didn't score on its own, its four interceptions for 81 yards and two fumble recoveries created opportunities that aided Manning and the offense's strongest showing of the season. 

The opportunistic performance from the secondary came on the heels of a three-takeaway game against the Houston Texans in Week 3.

Antrel Rolle, Prince Amukamara, Trumaine McBride and Quintin Demps all had an interception on the night, while Cullen Jenkins and McBride contributed a pair of fumble recoveries. 

QTR	QTR	POSS	D&D	Yard	Play
Cullen Jenkins	1	10:48	3rd & 9	WSH 32	Fumble rec, no gain
Trumaine McBride	2	1:24	2nd & 7	NYG 23	Fumble rec, no gain
Prince Amukamara	3	8:05	3rd & 3	WSH 43	INT for 28 yards
Quintin Demps	3	5:51	2nd & 9	WSH 2	INT for 3 yards
Trumaine McBride	3	0:40	2nd & 11	WSH 24	INT for 11 yards
Antrel Rolle	4	11:45	3rd & 11	WSH 49	INT for 55 yards

Three of New York's takeaways came on crucial third-down plays.

The first fumble recovery by Jenkins came early in the first quarter before either team had scored. Kirk Cousins had orchestrated a five-play drive on which he had converted two first downs before New York took advantage of the turnover and Manning promptly led a six-play, 24-yard scoring drive that culminated in a touchdown pass to Larry Donnell.

Amukamara's interception came on 3rd-and-3 in the third quarter after the Redskins had marched 33 yards on what was, arguably, their last real opportunity, trailing 24-14, to close the gap before things got out of hand.

Even after the Giants turned the ball over on the next drive—Redskin linebacker Keenan Robinson snatched away what should have been a Reuben Randle touchdown—Demps took it right back from Cousins two plays later, and the Giants scored on the ensuing drive, giving them an insurmountable 31-14 advantage.

In fact, the Giants scored on five of six drives that followed takeaways by the defense. Of 13 total drives by the New York offense, seven put points on the board. 

The defense played a big role in setting up those points. 

Sure, Cousins made their job a little easier. The Washington signal-caller went 19-of-33, and the Giants were certainly appreciative for the four interceptions he threw their way.

Heading into Thursday night's matchup, the Giants defense was ranked No. 22 in the league, allowing an average of 364.7 yards per game and 25.7 points per game. It was also tied for 29th in turnover differential, at minus-3 with just three takeaways. 

Doubling the number of takeaways they've had all season in just one game, and with Manning's pick being the lone turnover against Washington, New York improved its season turnover differential to plus-2. 

Though most of the interceptions, save for Jenkins', were by the secondary, the defensive line deserves its due as well for keeping Cousins (like Ryan Fitzpatrick last week) looking over his shoulder and throwing some inadvisable passes.  

The credit also runs all the way up the flag pole, to defensive coordinator Perry Fewell and head coach Tom Coughlin. According to Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post, on the Wednesday prior to the Giants win over the Texans, Coughlin put up a graphic in a team meeting showing the Giants' then minus-6 turnover ratio, and Fewell did the same thing in a Saturday defensive meeting. 

Rolle also held a players-only meeting on that same Wednesday to challenge and motivate his team. 

The defense responded last Sunday with its three turnovers, the first ones of the season, and on a short week upped the ante again with six against Washington. The Giants turned that minus-6 after Week 2 to a turnover differential of plus-2 after Week 4. 

It remains to be seen if New York can keep it up against more efficient offenses, but heading into Week 5, the Giants have made a negative into a positive in more than just their turnover ratio.