In the wake of Eli Manning’s emotional victory, Daniel Jones followed up with one of his own.
The rookie did something his two-time Super Bowl MVP predecessor had done 37 times before in the regular season and five more in the postseason – deliver a game-winning drive.
Jones and the Giants held off the Washington Redskins for a 41-35 overtime victory, their second in a row after a nine-game losing streak. Here are four plays that turned the game:
PLAY 1 (2nd and 9 at Was 23, 12:27 1st qtr): Daniel Jones pass to the left to Sterling Shepard for 23 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
The Giants had outscored the Redskins by 24 and 21 points in their previous two meetings, so recent history was on their side. Led by Jones, the offense clicked from the first snap, which was an eight-yard completion to Shepard. Saquon Barkley took a handoff for 32 yards on the very next play, and the Giants were back in business at FedEx Field. Jones then delivered a 23-yard touchdown to Shepard, who had nine catches for 111 yards last week vs. Miami. The Giants have outscored Washington, 105-54, in their current three-game winning streak.
PLAY 2 (2nd and 2 at NYG 33, 6:58 1st qtr): Saquon Barkley rush to the right for 67 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
The Giants scored touchdowns on their first three possessions and four of their first five. The problem was the Redskins also found the end zone on their first two. Rookie Dwayne Haskins, the 15th overall pick and third quarterback taken behind Jones and Kyler Murray, returned Jones' early serves and completed his first 10 passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns. Barkley helped keep the pace on his end and broke a 67-yard touchdown run to regain the lead in a game where the Giants never trailed. Barkley rushed for 170 yards in his first trip to Washington as a rookie, a mark that stood until he surpassed it on Sunday with 189. He added 90 yards through the air to give him 279 yards from scrimmage, breaking Tiki Barber's single-game franchise record of 276.
"I think that is what they kind of envisioned when they drafted DJ and drafted me," Barkley said. "I think we both have the potential and talent to play well together and open stuff up for each other. We showed that today with the help of everyone else and we were able to find a way to get the win."
PLAY 3 (1st and Goal at NYG 1, 0:37 4th qtr): Case Keenum rush to the right for 1 yard for a TOUCHDOWN.
With Case Keenum at quarterback after Haskins injured his ankle at the start of the second half, the Redskins needed to drive 99 yards to force overtime or possibly win the game with a two-point conversion. Cody Core had pinned Washington at its own one-yard line by downing a Riley Dixon punt, but the Redskins worked their way down the field to set up a pivotal fourth-and-goal play from the three-yard line with 41 seconds remaining and a 35-28 Giants lead. Keenum threw an incomplete pass to wide receiver Steven Sims, but rookie cornerback Corey Ballentine was called for defensive pass interference. On the next play, Keenum ran it in for a touchdown. The Redskins kicked the extra point to send it to overtime and cap the 14-play drive.
PLAY 4 (3rd and Goal at Was 3, 4:19 OT): Daniel Jones pass to the middle to Kaden Smith for 3 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
The Giants won the coin toss in overtime and took the ball to start the 10-minute period. Da'Mari Scott provided good field position with a 35-yard kickoff return, but the Giants quickly found themselves in a third-and-seven situation. Jones connected with Shepard for a 23-yard gain over the middle to keep the drive alive, and five more Barkley runs set up third-and-goal at the three. Jones dropped back, took two quick hops, and fired a fastball into the hands of a crossing Kaden Smith in the end zone for the winner. It was the second touchdown of the day from the tight end whose time has increased because of injuries to Evan Engram and Rhett Ellison. In the process, Jones became the first rookie in NFL history to throw for five touchdowns and 350 yards with no interceptions. His 23 touchdown passes broke Charlie Conerly's franchise rookie record and are three shy of Baker Mayfield's NFL record.
"I knew [winning the coin toss] was a big opportunity for us," Jones said. "The way overtime is set up, when you get the ball first it's a huge advantage. We had the opportunity to go down, score and end the game. So, we were confident we could do that."
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