The New York Giants didn’t just avoid mistakes in the fourth quarter this time, but capped their performance with a strong finish to finally earn their first win against Washington, 32-21.
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Following fourth-quarter collapses in the first two weeks of the season, New York ensured their late lead in the NFC East matchup wasn’t for nought as they upped their aggressiveness down the stretch.
The Giants scored 14 points in the final frame by relying on their pair of wide receivers to make critical plays.
Odell Beckham Jr first struck with a 30-yard touchdown grab to put New York up 25-6 followed by Rueben Randle securing a juggling 41-yard score for insurance in the closing minutes.
Giants quarterback Eli Manning was a combined 14-of-16 for 195 yards, 11 first downs and the two touchdowns when targeting Beckham and Randle.
Crazy Stat of Day: Odell Beckham Jr. has most receptions (110) & fantasy points (234) by a WR in 1st 15 career games. pic.twitter.com/Zp7CqjWnPq
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 25, 2015
Beckham’s dominance in his rookie campaign has carried over to this year but Randle was missing in the early going this season before breaking out with 116 yards on seven catches against Washington.
“He’s capable of doing that every single time,” Beckham said. “We’ve all got to pitch in to be able to do that. It was great to be able to see him get in the end zone tonight, and be able to see him out there.”
Randle was relegated to a footnote in the first two weeks, totalling four receptions on seven targets for 28 yards, but his involvement was emphasised in the lead-up to the division meeting with Washington.
“Rueben played well, played outstanding from the get-go,” Manning said. “We need him to play well, and I felt bad the first games hadn’t gotten him as involved as we should’ve. He’s a big part of the offense.
“It’s good to get him back going and getting him catches, and making sure people know you have a lot more than just one receiver.”
With playmaking wideout Victor Cruz still sidelined with a calf injury, the presence of Randle – who now has four 100-yard games in his past 10 after just one in his first 41 career games – is necessary to take pressure off Beckham and give Manning another target.
Beckham, meanwhile, delivered again with his 14th career touchdown in his 15th game – fourthmost of any player in history through 15 games – to give him the most scores in the NFL during that span.
Instead of holding a 1-2 record, the Giants could be sitting pretty in the division at 3-0 had they held on in their first two contests, but with Dallas having to deal with significant injuries to their most important players and Philadelphia in a tailspin, New York are very much in the thick of things in the turbulent NFC East.
