Redskins 16 Giants 6
The widespread joy and contentment felt by the Giants with their surprising 3-0 start was interrupted last night by a harsh slap of reality. No, a team cannot prance through an entire season facing inferior competition. The first time the Giants met a legitimate playoff contender, they certainly did not look like an elite team.
Playing small in a very big game, the hammer the Giants once held in the NFC has slipped through their fingers. An offense that operated all season in a comfort zone was frustrated and bewildered for four quarters and a defensive secondary that had been unbreakable was ravaged by the passing of Brad Johnson. That deadly combination was more than enough to give the Redskins a decisive 16-6 victory last night at Giants Stadium.
This was hardly the showing the Giants wanted in their 2000 national television debut, not the sort of performance they anticipated after manhandling their first three opponents. Apparently, the Giants were not ready to make a bold move in the division, not ready to bury the Redskins.
Not ready. That could serve as the theme for what the Giants proved last night. As improved as they are, they were not ready to take the next step. And, as a result, they allowed the Redskins, who came in as a struggling, over-priced collection, to right themselves, improve to 2-2 and remain within hailing distance of the Giants.
“It was a big game for us, but it was a very, very big game for them,” left tackle Lomas Brown said. “They came out playing like this was a very big game for them.”
And the Giants – who had not trailed at any time this season – came out playing like, well, like it was a game they wanted to win, not a game they desperately needed to win. Therein was the difference.
“It’s a reality check,” cornerback Jason Sehorn said. “We just plain got it handed to us. There’s no place to look but to ourselves. You walk off that field knowing, man, we really kicked ourselves in the butt, along with them kicking us in the butt.”
It remains to be seen if this defeat is indeed a setback. Up next is perhaps the toughest game of the season, on the road in Nashville to face the Titans, last year’s AFC Super Bowl entry. The good vibes of the 3-0 start are in danger of dissipating in a hurry.
Virtually every aspect of this game was a marked contrast to what went on previously, which had something to do with the Giants and probably more to do with the opposition. The Cardinals, Eagles and Bears were beatable, but the Redskins are a talented group that realized it was time to start playing like a $100-million team. There were all sorts of pressure down in Washington and the Skins responded in a big way.
“We felt like we had to win this game,” Johnson said, “and we did.”
Were the Giants a bit too full of themselves or were the Redskins simply that much better? This game was hardly close, as the Skins led 10-0 at halftime, 16-0 entering the third quarter and the Giants averted their first shutout in five years with a touchdown with 2:25 remaining.
The most glaring change was in the way the Giants malfunctioned on offense. Their running game of Tiki Barber (16-65) and Ron Dayne (2-23) was not consistent enough to take the heat off Kerry Collins (21 of 44, 210 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT), who was under fire all night. Collins was sacked four times and the Redskins defensive front was in his face from start to finish.
“We played horrible,” guard Glenn Parker said. “It starts with us. Granted, when the game wasn’t on the line we protected well, but it’s easy to do that. The hardest part is protecting and picking up the blitzes that made the game turn around. When we needed to play at our top we didn’t, we got beat.”
This was not close to the domination of last year’s 50-21 Redskins rout. A handful of damaging pass plays did the Giants in. They had not allowed a pass play longer than 31 yards in their first three games, but they were riddled by Johnson, who was under intense scrutiny for throwing five interceptions in the first three games. With the presence of backup Jeff George making this a key game for Johnson, he responded with a big-time effort, hitting 14 of 20 passes for 289 yards.
After a scoreless first quarter, Johnson went to work, and he exposed the Giants secondary. Redskins coach Norv Turner usually is able to create mismatches, and there were plenty to exploit. In the first half alone, Johnson completed passes of 46, 23 and 48 yards.
Johnson targeted cornerback Dave Thomas and it proved to be a wise choice. James Thrash simply ran past Thomas and hauled in a 46-yard bomb to the Giants 23. From there, Johnson used a pump-fake to freeze Sam Garnes just enough to allow ageless Irving Fryar to run untouched for an easy touchdown catch.
It got worse, and once again, a long-distance pass play did the trick. Johnson reared back and let go of a pass just before Jessie Armstead leveled him. To little, too late. Johnson was flat on his back and didn’t see his pass drop between Thomas and Sehorn – both expecting deep help from a safety – and fall into the hands of Albert Connell for a 48-yard gain to set up a field goal for a 10-0 lead.
In the third quarter, Johnson hit Connell for a 53-yard gain when safety Shaun Williams misplayed the ball, leading to a 23-yard floater to Andre Reed that beat Thomas. “It’s very disappointing because we need to play as a unit, and because we gave up some big plays it didn’t help us at all,” Thomas said. “Especially myself, I know I can play a lot better than that. That’s not my style of football.”