Giants vs. Redskins: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 Regular Season

The New York Giants blew a golden opportunity to take a two-game edge in the NFC East on Sunday, as the Washington Redskins ascended into the division lead with a 20-14 victory in Week 12 at FedEx Field.

Head coach Tom Coughlin's Giants came out flat off a bye week, with sloppy execution on offense and interceptions thrown by Eli Manning on New York's first two possessions.      

The Giants did stage a valiant fourth-quarter rally with a few thrilling plays, though. Magic began to happen when Rueben Randle beat coverage on a 4th-and-16 to haul in a 40-yard scoring reception to cut New York's deficit to 20-7.

After Manning hit Will Tye on a clutch 4th-and-2 to keep the next drive going, receiver Odell Beckham Jr. laid out for a one-handed, 31-yard TD grab with 4:57 on the game clock, courtesy of SB Nation:

ESPN's Field Yates had one of the better reactions to Beckham's latest highlight-reel play:

Washington didn't capitalize on the early Giants miscues, though momentum promptly shifted in the second quarter after a scoreless first. Dustin Hopkins opened the scoring with a 42-yard field goal followed by Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins throwing a 63-yard touchdown bomb to DeSean Jackson.

Director of NFC football communications Randall Liu referenced the history behind Jackson's latest explosion to paydirt:

Once it was a two-possession game, the visitors all but abandoned the running game and forced Manning to air it out as a means of mounting a comeback. The hosts were able to pin their ears back and get a strong pass rush, refusing to allow New York to get into a rhythm until it was too late.

Andrew Siciliano of NFL Network reacted to Washington's win, putting its ascent to the top of the NFC East in context:

ESPN's Mike Greenberg didn't mince words in his criticism of the Giants, who had to be considered favorites despite being on the road:

Fox Sports' Troy Aikman was surprised by how lopsided the game was when Washington led 17-0 at halftime, thanks to a one-yard TD plunge by Cousins on a 4th-and-goal play 1:45 before the break:

It appeared the Giants were gaining steam in the third quarter until Randle didn't compete well enough for a ball in the end zone on a 3rd-and-goal play. Randle allowed Redskins cornerback Quinton Dunbar to undercut him for the Washington defense's third pick of the afternoon.

Although at least two of Manning's three interceptions couldn't be pinned all on him, ESPN Stats & Info pointed to how turnover-prone the two-time Super Bowl MVP has been throughout his career:

Had Manning and Randle connected on the final interception, New York may well have had enough to complete an epic comeback.

Improved ball security from the Giants' franchise QB is a big reason the team was atop the putrid NFC East entering Sunday. Manning's supporting cast ensured that didn't continue; the play-calling and circumstances didn't allow New York to establish the run.

After nearly toppling the undefeated New England Patriots in their prior contest, the Giants have taken a huge step back.

Washington is simply a different team at home, improving to 5-1 in Landover, Maryland, on the season. It must play better away from its home turf, but it won't have to in Week 13, when the reeling, Tony Romo-less Dallas Cowboys come to town.

CBS 11's Bill Jones analyzed how bad the NFC East is and what might happen if Washington suffers a letdown and the Giants can't recover from a devastating defeat

With a beatable opponent in America's Team on tap, the Redskins may well pull to .500 and further separate themselves in the NFC East. They are currently out in front on the strength of a superior division record as a tiebreaker.

The Giants are returning home for a Week 13 showdown with the New York Jets, which of course isn't really a home game. After defeating the Miami Dolphins on Sunday even without Darrelle Revis, the Jets are sure to be riding high and eager to knock off their intrastate adversary.

Postgame Reaction

One of the better things to happen in the aftermath of Sunday's game came from the Washington locker room, as reported by ESPN's Britt McHenry:

Washington head coach Jay Gruden applauded the efforts of Dunbar, who made what amounted to the biggest play of the game for the victors aside from the Cousins-to-Jackson connection.

"Some (young) guys sink, some guys swim—and he's obviously swimming," Gruden said of Dunbar, per the Redskins' official Twitter account.

"When we play focused, when we protect the football, we can be tough to beat," the coach added.

Cousins, who was 20-of-29 passing for 302 yards and the aforementioned score, weighed in on the deep ball to Jackson, saying, courtesy of the team, "Did a little hurry-up and DeSean won his matchup."

Ryan Kerrigan sacked Manning twice Sunday and suggested pride was a factor as Washington avenged a 32-21 loss to New York from Week 3.

"This is big for us, and it felt a little personal because they're [sic] kicked our tail the last couple times," said Kerrigan.

Coughlin hinted at his team's inability to rise to the occasion but did praise the way New York fought to the final whistle and also suggested his team had room to improve, per the Giants' Twitter feed.

"We came in full well knowing the circumstances. Had we had a little more time it might've been different at the end. [...] I gave the players credit for the way they came back in the fourth quarter. You're in it to win and we didn't," said Coughlin.

The Giants coach also said, "We have five games to go. If we can get back winning....it's up to us."

New York has proved in the past to thrive in the underdog role. It's almost as though Manning and Co. need that to push themselves to be legitimate contenders. Despite Sunday's loss, Coughlin's crew remains dangerous and has the best active QB in the division to lead the way.