Redskins vs. Giants: Start Spreading the News, Redskins Losing Today

Oh, to be a part of it.

Or not.

The Giants ran all over the Washington Redskins today in a rout.

Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw were able to rush almost at will. Jacobs had 103 yards rushing on only eight carries, with two touchdowns. Bradshaw took 25 carries for 97 yards and two touchdowns.

Eli Manning made a mistake down in Redskins territory in the second quarter when London Fletcher intercepted a pass in the end zone after an almost certain delay-of-game penalty.

Donovan McNabb's vision was questionable today, at best. As an example, I use a first-quarter pass to Chris Cooley when Anthony Armstrong was wide open in the flat. Another example was when McNabb was rushed by Justin Tuck in the fourth quarter and the ball was stripped very close to the end zone.

Do I place all the blame of this lose on Donovan McNabb? Absolutely not.

Turnovers killed the Redskins today.

The Giants have turned the ball over more than any other team in the NFL, but you wouldn't be able to tell that by the way they played today. The Redskins had six turnovers to the Giants' one.

The total yards were pretty equal. The Redskins had 338, and Giants had 358. But the game and score were nowhere close.

The surprise of the day would be Derek Hagan, who had seven catches and 65 yards in a standout performance.

The other surprise for the Redskins was the appearance of former second-round draft pick and "I-was-just-cut-by-you-guys-a-few-weeks-ago" Devin Thomas. Two key special teams plays by Thomas certainly helped the Redskins realize that cutting him may have been a bad decision. Thomas blocked a punt while being held in the Redskins end zone and also made a great play on another punt return.

Let me just get you to the grades today:

Quarterback: C+

I am not going to fault McNabb completely this week for having a sea of blue in his face all day. I recognize this week that it is extremely hard to throw an accurate pass when you're on your face. A couple of junk throws at the end of the when it was in "junk time" were a waste, but overall the whole game was typical McNabb.

Running Back: D

The Redskins as a team had 74 yards rushing. It's OK when there is one player with a stat like that, but as a team? Not what I would call effective.

Fullback: C

Mike Sellers made a great play where he jumped over a Giants defender. He also made a really bad play where he ran before he caught the ball wide open in the flat, which would have led to a big gain.

Wide Receiver: D

Aside from Anthony Armstrong, they could not hold onto the ball. Santana Moss missed a couple of catches—one was over his head, but the other was through his hands, which is why he only had two catches for the entire day.

Tight End: A

The bright spot for the offense today. Chris Cooley was tied with Armstrong to lead the team with six catches, and Fred Davis caught a huge pass.

Offensive Line: D

I cannot fail them for not being able to protect the quarterback against the Giants defensive line because that would not be fair. Or is it?

Defensive Line: F

No penetration. Eli Manning was not sacked once, which now makes five straight games. Enough said.

Linebackers: D

Many missed tackles, and they could not wrap up the Giants backfield to keep them from getting into the secondary. I was not impressed today.

Cornerbacks: C

Phillip Buchanon had a horrible game...actually, just a bad first half. Derek Hagans was Eli Manning's go-to man in the first half, and Buchanon had no answer. DeAngelo Hall made two tackles but was barely mentionable.

Safety: B

Is it good to have a backup safety lead the team in tackles? Reed Doughty did, indeed.

Kicker: F

Graham Gano had one attempt at a mid-40s field goal, and he missed it. He made the PAT, thank goodness.

Punter: B

Hunter Smith did a good job punting the ball on the few chances he got. Most of the time the Giants took the ball away, instead of having it punted to them. The reason he did not get an A is because he needs to get the ball away when the rush is coming instead of having it blocked in the end zone.

Coaching: Fail

Yeah...

The New York Giants are regarded by some as the best team in the NFC. With the strong play of the Eagles lately that may be a tough argument, but the Giants certainly showed off against their NFC East foes today.

Next week the Redskins take on a surprising Tampa Bay team that is right in the thick of the playoff hunt. It will be a tough test, and for Redskins fans, something that we need to start looking forward to instead of dwelling on the rump-kicking the Giants just provided.

See you next week.

Hail!