New York Giants: Defense, Bradshaw and Jacobs Too Much for Redskins

The New York Giants welcomed the Washington Redskins to a cold and blustery New Meadowlands Stadium where the Giants held serve and maintained a tie for the division lead with the Philadelphia Eagles.

On a day where winds were routinely gusting above 30 miles per hour, the Giants looked to their running game to down the men from Washington.

Brandon Jacobs may have started, but Ahmad Bradshaw got in the mix as well as he finished off the Redskins.

With the wide receiving corps still decimated by injuries to starters Steve Smith and Hakeem Nicks, Jacobs and Bradshaw stepped up to provide the Giant offense with a combined four rushing touchdowns, the most in one game for New York since 2004.

Jacobs finished the day with eight carries for 103 yards and two touchdowns, while Bradshaw accounted for 97 yards on 25 carries as he added two scores of his own.

Jacobs saw action early in the game, and he broke off long run after long run. Despite the success of Jacobs, Coughlin relied heavily on Bradshaw for the majority of the game.

It was a curious decision to give him so many carries for a number of reasons. He wasn't the starter for the day, he has a problem with fumbles and Jacobs was running so well.

Jacobs could be seen for much of the game directly next to Coach Coughlin, but his number wasn't called again after his 28-yard touchdown run halfway through the third quarter.

Perhaps, with the Giants leading by so much, Coughlin was looking to build the confidence of Bradshaw in a game where there was less pressure.

It's impossible to mention the running game without giving credit to the offensive line. Once again, this patchwork unit looked like they had been playing together all season.

They busted open huge holes for the backs and made it five straight games that Eli Manning has gone without being sacked. Will Beatty and Kevin Boothe played well once again and despite some penalties that are to be expected of the young players, they were a major reason that the game wasn't even close.

It was a blowout for the entire game, and whenever the Redskins seemed close, the Giants defense would ramp up the pressure and force a turnover.

The Big Blue defense forced a season high six turnovers against the Redskins as they showed their penchant for stripping the ball and forcing fumbles.

Jason Pierre-Paul has now had two weeks in a row with multiple sacks, and it seems like he is starting to learn the ins-and-outs of being a pass rushing defensive lineman in the NFL. This once raw athlete is beginning to put it all together.

Tuck and Umenyiora played well, each posting a sack, but they failed to make many tackles as they totaled only six.

Once again, the secondary came out playing extremely well.

Terrell Thomas continues to contribute all over the field, as he notched another interception to go along with five tackles.

Deon Grant led the team with eight tackles on the day and made up for the play of Kenny Phillips. Despite Phillips' five tackles, I felt he looked sluggish on the field and he got beat more than a few times.

At this point however, the criticism of Phillips is largely just nitpicking. The defense played so well as a unit that it's hard to find any real fault with anyone.

In any case, that's what a good defense with depth can do for you; if one player isn't playing as well as they would hope, there's someone else out there who can pick them up.

The Giants won this game on the backs of their running game and their defensive prowess; in short, it was a typical New York Giants victory.

The game was marked by smart play-calling, a defense that wouldn't let up and even a special teams unit that played much better. Danny Ware broke off a couple of nice returns as the kickoff man.

Next week, the Giants will be looking to keep the ball rolling against the Minnesota Vikings when Hakeem Nicks and Steve Smith should be ready to return to action.

Combine a rejuvenated wide receiving corps with Bradshaw and Jacobs playing at a high level, and it seems like the New York offense will be stronger than ever. The unit will look to complement a stingy defense that they hope will carry them to a playoff berth.

Mike Osterberg is a student at Penn State University and Featured Columnist for the New York Giants. Follow him on twitter @Mike_Osterberg.