Washington Redskins 29, New York Giants 27

Here are the top-graded players and biggest storylines from Washington’s win in New York.

Quarterback grade: Kirk Cousins, 79.0

Kirk Cousins answers critics with deep-ball accuracy

Redskins quarterback Cousins answered his critics (some apparently from within his own locker room) with a strong performance against the Giants. His deep-ball accuracy was on display against New York, as he completed three of five throws longer than 20 yards through the air for 99 yards and a score. With the threat of the long ball well-established, he was extremely efficient on easier underneath throws as well, connecting on 17 of 22 attempts under 10 yards for 177 yards.

Top offensive grades:

QB Kirk Cousins, 79.0

WR Jamison Crowder, 75.7

RG Brandon Scherff, 74.4

WR Pierre Garcon, 74.0

WR DeSean Jackson, 71.1

Washington uses all its playmakers in big divisional win

Crowder was the highest-graded offensive player outside of Cousins for Washington, despite his grade not even including his 52-yard punt return, on which he forced five missed tackles. The quartet of WRs Crowder, Garçon, Jackson and TE Jordan Reed combined to haul in 18 of 27 targets for 289 yards and two touchdowns, with each player being targeted at least six times and catching at least four balls.

Top defensive grades:

S Will Blackmon, 84.0

OLB Preston Smith, 81.9

ILB Su’a Cravens, 81.1

S David Bruton, 77.7

OLB Trent Murphy, 72.1

Redskins' defense struggles to rush the passer, tackle

OLB Preston Smith had the most complete game for Washington on defense, as he registered two hurries, batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage, and made four solo tackles, all of them being run stops. He also did not miss any tackles, which was otherwise a huge issue for the Redskins. As a whole, the defense missed 11 tackles. They also struggled to get to Giants QB Eli Manning, as they managed just two sacks and no QB hits in the game.

Quarterback grade: Eli Manning, 52.9

The key to Eli Manning’s struggles versus Washington was on pressure plays. While he was only pressured seven times on 41 dropbacks, on those snaps he was sacked twice and completed just one of five passes for 3 yards. His performance against the blitz wasn’t much better, as he completed six of 12 passes against the blitz for 82 yards. The game-ending interception to Washington rookie Su’a Cravens was the final blitz of the day by the Redskins.

Top offensive grades:

WR Odell Beckham Jr., 87.1

LG Justin Pugh, 85.3

RT Bobby Hart, 80.8

LT Ereck Flowers, 75.4

RG John Jerry, 74.4

Beckham Jr. gets the better of Josh Norman

While his performance against Josh Norman last December was marred by a drop on a would-be long TD, and of course the personal foul penalties and subsequent suspension, he otherwise had a strong outing against the Panther, and that did not change on Sunday with Norman in a new uniform. Unlike Week 15 last season, Beckham had no drops today, as he caught seven of his 10 targets for 121 yards, with five of those catches and 88 yards coming against Norman (who earned a 52.3 overall grade in this game).

C Weston Richburg was New York’s lowest-graded offensive player; while his two unsportsmanlike penalties and resulting ejection hurt his grade, more concerning were his struggles on run blocks. While the other four offensive linemen all graded out well overall, in particular on run blocks, Richburg’s 42.5 grade lagged considerably behind.

Top defensive grades:

CB Leon Hall, 85.5

DE Jason Pierre-Paul, 84.5

DT Damon Harrison, 83.6

LB Devon Kennard, 80.0

LB Keenan Robinson, 79.9

Defensive line shuts down Washington’s run game

Considering that the Redskins managed just 89 yards on the ground at 3.1 yards per carry, it’s no surprise to see four members of the Giants’ front-seven at the top of their defensive grades. DT Damon Harrison was the clear top player against the run, as he had five run stops and 10 total tackles. The defensive line was also productive on the pass rush, as Harrison, Pierre-Paul, and DE Olivier Vernon combined to record two sacks, a hit, seven hurries, and two batted passes.

PFF Game-Ball Winner: Jamison Crowder, WR, Redskins

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