LANDOVER, Md. – Notes and statistics from the Giants' 20-12 victory against the Washington Commanders in FedExField:
*The Giants ended their four-game winless streak (three losses and a tie) and improved to 8-5-1. With three games remaining, they are guaranteed to finish at .500 or better for the first time since they were 11-5 in 2016.
*The Giants are alone in third place in the NFC East and currently hold the sixth seed in the conference playoffs. Division leaders Philadelphia, Minnesota and San Francisco have clinched postseason berths. The Vikings and 49ers have secured division titles. The Giants' victory clinched a spot for the Dallas Cowboys. The NFC South winners – Tampa Bay leads the division with a 6-8 record – will claim a fifth spot. The Giants have a one-game lead on the 7-6-1 Commanders and own the tiebreaker. Seattle and Detroit, who both beat the Giants, are a half-game back of the seventh and last playoff slot at 7-7.
*The Giants improved to 4-2 on the road with games still to be played in Minnesota and Philadelphia. The four road victories is their highest total since they were 4-4 in 2016.
*This was the Giants' first NFC East victory under Brian Daboll. They are 1-3-1 in the division and will play the first-place Eagles in the season finale. The Giants won their first division road game since Nov. 8, 2020, also at Washington (23-20).
*The Giants ended their 11-game losing streak in prime-time games. They had last won a night game at San Francisco (27-23) on Monday, Nov. 12, 2018, and had not won a Sunday night game since Oct. 15, 2017, a 23-10 triumph in Denver. The Giants improved to 23-31-1 on Sunday night, including 12-18-1 on the road, 4-3-1 vs. Washington and 3-1-1 in Washington.
*The Giants did not have an offensive turnover for the seventh time this season.
*Rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux scored the Giants' first touchdown on a one-yard fumble return with 13:10 remaining in the second quarter. On second-and-18 from the Commanders' 10-yard line, Thibodeaux blew by tackle Charles Leno, Jr., sacked Taylor Heinicke for a nine-yard loss and stripped the ball from his hand, then pounced on it and stepped into the end zone.
Thibodeaux's initial career score was the Giants' first defensive touchdown since Nov. 7, 2021, when Xavier McKinney intercepted a pass by Las Vegas' Derek Carr and returned it 41 yards for a touchdown. It is the Giants' first touchdown on a defensive fumble return since Oct. 18, 2020, when Tae Crowder, then a rookie, scored on a game-deciding 43-yard runback, also vs. Washington (in MetLife Stadium).
*Thibodeaux said it was his first touchdown since he played tight end in high school in California and his first ever on defense.
*The Giants took a 14-3 lead on Saquon Barkley's three-yard touchdown run with 1:43 remaining in the second quarter. The score capped a 97-yard drive of 18 plays and 8:35 of game clock.
The 97-yard series is the Giants' longest since they scored a touchdown on another 97-yard drive at Philadelphia on Oct. 22, 2020. The 18 plays are the most the Giants have run on one series since they had a 19-play drive (that ended with an interception) vs Pittsburgh on Sept. 14, 2020. At 8:35, it is the Giants' second longest possession in terms of time this season. On Oct. 30, they had a drive in Seattle that ended with a field goal and was completed in 8:56.
*Barkley finished with 18 carries for 87 yards – 52 in the fourth quarter – his highest total since he ran for 152 yards against Houston on Nov. 13 – the Giants' previous victory. He increased his season total to 1,170 yards.
*Barkley's rushing touchdown was the 28th of his career, the 10th-highest total in Giants history and four fewer than No. 9 Ahmad Bradshaw.
*Barkley's five receptions (for 33 yards) tied Darius Slayton for the team high.
*In four career games in Washington, Barkley has 665 scrimmage yards (166.3 a game) and four touchdowns.
*Daniel Jones started his 14th consecutive game, the longest streak of his four-year career. He had two previous streaks that ended at 13 games because of injury, a hamstring in 2020 and a neck injury in 2021.
*Jones completed 21 of 32 passes for 160 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions for a passer rating of 77.6 He also rushed for 35 yards on 10 carries, the fifth time this season he has had double-digit rushing attempts.
*Jones was not sacked for the first time since Oct.10, 2021 in Dallas. He had been sacked at least once in 19 consecutive games.
*This was Jones' first Sunday night game and his first victory in 10 prime time games.
*In addition to scoring a touchdown, Thibodeaux led the Giants with 12 tackles (nine solo), including three for loss.
*Rookie Ryder Anderson picked up his second sack in as many weeks.
*Dexter Lawrence and Azeez Ojulari shared the Giants' third sack. They are 1-2 on the team this season, with 6.5 and 4.5 sacks, respectively. Lawrence forced a Heinicke fumble on the play that was recovered by Leonard Williams.
*Daboll won a key challenge on the play after the officials ruled Heinicke was down by contact. Daboll, with help from the coaches' booth, said the ball was coming out of the quarterback's hands before he was down. After review, referee John Hussey announced the call was reversed and the fumble and Williams' recovery stood.
*Daboll is 3-1 on replay challenges in his debut season.
*Williams returned after missing last week's game with a neck injury he suffered in the first Washington game two weeks ago. The fumble recovery was his only stat.
*Linebacker Jaylon Smith had nine tackles (four solo).
*Safety Julian Love tallied seven tackles (three solo) to increase his team-leading total to 106 (68 solo).
*Graham Gano kicked two 50-yard field goals. He has seven 50-yard or longer field goals this season, tying the franchise record and career high he set in 2021. Gano has 19 50 or longer goals in three seasons with the Giants and 38 in his career.
*The Giants improved to 15-10-1 in FedEx Field.
*Guard Ben Bredeson played for the first time since injuring his right knee at Jacksonville on Oct. 23. He split time at left guard with Nick Gates.
*Landon Collins was in uniform for the first time since Oct. 30 in Seattle after he was elevated from the practice squad Saturday. It was his maximum third elevation of the season. If he is to play again, the Giants must sign him to the 53-man roster. Collins played inside linebacker in the base defense and on special teams and had three tackles (one solo).
*The Giants' game captains were Jones, Williams and Lawrence.
*The Giants' inactive players were cornerbacks Adoree' Jackson (knee) and Rodarius Williams, wide receiver David Sills, offensive linemen Shane Lemieux (toe) and Jack Anderson, linebacker Tae Crowder and quarterback Davis Webb.
