New York Giants vs. Washington Redskins: Washington Grades, Notes and Quotes

Continuing their roller-coaster season, the Washington Redskins ended Week 12 on a high note, and in the NFC East lead.

Behind an aggressive defense, Washington defeated the New York Giants, 20-14. Some late theatrics from New York brought the final margin closer, but the Redskins were in control throughout. 

They held a 407-336 advantage in total yards and forced three turnovers.

The win ended a five-game losing streak in the series for Washington, while also extending its winning streak at home to five games.

Moving past the recap, here are the postgame grades, notes and quotes for the Redskins.

Position Grades

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Quarterback: B+

His performance wasn't on par with his last two showings at home, but Kirk Cousins was more than steady in victory this week. Cousins completed 20 of 29 passes for 302 yards and scored a touchdown both on the ground and through the air.

More importantly, he played turnover-free football.

He came close to throwing a pick-six early to Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. But with a zero in the turnover column, in addition to some well-placed deep balls, Cousins overcame his perceived shortcomings.

Running Backs: C

Bouncing back from last week's embarrassing output (14 yards), Washington crossed the 100-yard barrier in this game. With Alfred Morris' 78 yards leading the way, the team finished with 105 yards on the ground.

Let's not get too excited, though, as it did take 37 carries to accomplish this feat. Still, it was a positive sign to see the Skins salt the game away late with their rushing attack. Their final drive took over four minutes off the clock, with six of eight plays being runs.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: B+

What a difference DeSean Jackson makes. He wasn't necessarily active in the receptions department (2), but for a second consecutive week Jackson made the type of splashy play on which he's built his career. 

He hauled in a 63-yard touchdown reception and finished with 66 yards on the game. Complementing Jackson's exploits down the field was Jordan Reed in the short-to-intermediate area.

Reed led the team with eight receptions and 98 yards. With an average of 15.1 yards per reception, the Redskins capitalized on New York's penchant for surrendering big plays.

Offensive Line: C+

The Giants' porous defensive front cured whatever ailed Washington's offensive line in Carolina. The NFL's worst pass rush didn't sack Cousins and registered just three quarterback hits.

Running lanes were again hard to come by up front. The team averaged a meager 2.8 yards a rush.

With the weather soon to take a turn for the worst, this is a facet that has to improve going forward.

Defensive Line/Linebackers: A-

Taking advantage of a New York offensive line minus three starters, the Redskins front seven dominated the line of scrimmage. 

The Giants mustered only 33 yards on the ground against the NFL's 28th-ranked rush defense. As for the pass rush, it feasted on New York's one-dimensional offense. Washington constantly harassed Eli Manning and tallied three sacks and eight quarterback hits.

With three sacks and five quarterback hits between them, Chris Baker and Ryan Kerrigan were the stars of this position group.

Defensive Backs: A

Manning entered this contest with the Redskins' number. He posted a 92.2 QBR, per ESPN.com, in Week 3 and had 11 touchdowns to three interceptions through his past five matchups in this series.

Even down its top corner, Chris Culliver, Washington brought this trend to a screeching halt. Manning completed only 26 of 51 passes and threw three interceptions. 

The primary defender on Odell Beckham Jr., Bashaud Breeland led the team with four pass breakups. Beckham did finish with nine receptions for 142 yards, but it took him 18 targets to compile these numbers.

With the exception of some blown fourth-down coverages late, the secondary had a near-flawless performance.

Special Teams: C+

On the heels of Andre Roberts' 99-yard kick return touchdown a week ago, the return game delivered nothing of note. The long return on the game went for 25 yards.

In the kicking game, a blocked field goal kept Dustin Hopkins from connecting on all three of his attempts.

Coaching: A

Adjustments from the first game between these teams proved to be the deciding factor. Manning picked Joe Barry's passive defense to pieces in the first matchup.

While Barry again relied on his front four to generate pressure, he implemented more press coverage to disrupt Manning's rhythm. And it worked to great effect. Manning, a 64 percent passer on the year, completed just 51 percent of his throws.

In sticking with the running game, despite middling production, head coach Jay Gruden brought balance to the offense. Not only that, in controlling the clock—36 minutes in time of possession—he kept his defense fresh to combat the Giants' no-huddle attack.

Important Note No. 1: Wasted Opportunities

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With its misery against New York ended, and the NFC East lead in tow, Washington has ample reason to celebrate one of its most impressive wins of the Gruden era.

It wasn't a flawless performance, though. The Redskins failed to score any points off of three turnovers, two of which placed the team in Giants territory.

As ESPN's John Keim notes, this has been a theme all season. The team had scored just 23 points off 14 turnovers entering the game.

Washington's rise to the top of the division hasn't required a victory over a winning opponent. And given the state of the NFC East, the team may not need one to claim the division crown.

The fact remains, though, such an opponent will await the team in the postseason. To have any chance at victory, the Skins can't continue to squander extra possessions.

Important Note No. 2: Cousins Finds Redemption

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Cousins has shuffled in and out of the lineup during his tenure in D.C. And yet, outside of his rookie year, he always found himself matched up with the Giants. 

In three prior outings, Cousins posted two touchdowns to eight interceptions. In his first encounter, a 20-6 defeat in 2013, he completed a career-worst 39.9 percent of his passes. He had a career-high four interceptions the next time out, a 45-14 shellacking on Thursday Night Football.

Another double-digit defeat followed to start this season. 

With such struggles in his rear view, Cousins' outing in Week 12 served as a bit of redemption. The goat in many of Washington's defeats, Cousins was a driving force in victory here.

This too was the case against both the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now that he's exorcised his demons against the Giants, the task ahead will be for Cousins to deliver against winning teams.

Quote No. 1: Defense Steals the Show

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Constructed to be the backbone of the team in the offseason, Washington's defense has been anything but in 2015. It ranked in the bottom half of the league in total yards allowed, rushing defense and scoring defense through 10 games.

Injured, maligned and underachieving all came to mind when describing this outfit. The former is still true, but the Skins defense exceeded expectations in Week 12.

It took a fourth-down busted coverage and a spectacular catch from Beckham for the NFL's No. 4 scoring offense to avoid a shutout. One of the more proficient teams you'll see on third down, the Giants converted just three of 15 third downs.

Following such a performance, Gruden couldn't help but rave about his defense:

"I'm happy as heck the way they played. Gave up a couple late touchdowns ... but overall, I think our defense was outstanding," he said, via the team's official Twitter feed.

With none of their remaining four opponents ranking in the top 20 in scoring offense, this is a level of play the Redskins can maintain going forward.

Quote No. 2: Dunbar Makes His Mark

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"Started at receiver, now he here." Such is the case of Quinton Dunbar.

Filling in for an injured Culliver, the receiver-turned-cornerback starred on the back end. He posted three pass breakups and effectively took points off the board with his interception of Manning in the end zone.

Talking postgame, per Stephen Czarda of Redskins.com, Dunbar pointed out the importance film study played in making the play.

“He ran a snap and I knew he wasn't coming back outside. So I just undercut it and made a play on the ball," he said.

“Like I said, he ran a breaking route and I knocked the ball down. That’s all. It’s film study all through the week.”

A receiver a mere four months, Dunbar cited hard work as the key in his transition.

“As soon as I came in, I worked hard, I competed everyday—especially at cornerback, I competed every day at cornerback. I just went out there and played," he said.

Culliver's absence will be felt. But looking at what the likes of Dunbar and Will Blackmon have contributed this season, a precipitous fall doesn't await Washington's 12th-ranked passing defense.