Dunbar’s interception came in the end zone with 13 minutes 42 seconds left in the game, snuffing out a play that potentially would’ve given New York a 31-26 lead. Then, with 1:09 left in the game, Cravens intercepted an Eli Manning pass over the middle. Washington was able to run out the clock for its first win of the season, 29-27.

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“It’s exciting. You can see the depth of this football team, really,” Coach Jay Gruden said. “Guys stepped up. Dunbar made a big play, and Su’a came in with a big play, obviously. A lot of guys contributed. … It’s fun to watch these guys. We had many a reason and many a time to hang our heads and say, ‘Here we go again in 2016,’ but these guys kept fighting and got the win.”

Dunbar’s play was actually his second big moment of the game and almost erased the memory of an early-game gaffe that proved costly and led to a touchdown for the Giants. After a three-and-out by the defense, Dunbar touched the ball on a punt that Jamison Crowder had backed away from. Dunbar’s touch and failed attempt to recover the ball gave possession back to the Giants at the Washington 28, and three plays later, New York scored the first touchdown of the game. But in the third quarter, Dunbar — a former college wide receiver — lined up as a gunner on the punt team, ran downfield and caught a 31-yard pass from punter Tress Way on the fake. That extended a Redskins drive, which ended in a field goal.

Then came Dunbar’s interception — the second of his career on Manning after a game-sealing pick in the end zone against the Giants in a win at FedEx Field last December.

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“God made that play,” Dunbar said of this latest interception. “I just went out, gave it to God, played the technique and put my hand there. Coming from receiver, it helped. I located the ball, put my hand up.”

Cravens’s big play represented a second-chance opportunity as well. Earlier in the fourth quarter, he found himself out of position because of a mental error, but he was near the ball and tried to intercept a Manning pass. But safety David Bruton Jr. also was going for the ball. The two collided and neither made the catch.

Cravens said he had to apologize to Bruton, because had he not interfered, the safety likely would have made the interception and a nice return.

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But with the game on the line, coaches sent Cravens back into the game for inside linebacker Mason Foster because of the high likelihood of another pass play, where the rookie excels.

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“Mason told me just before I went onto the field, ‘Go make a play. You’re a rookie, go have fun. It only takes one.’ I wasn’t expecting him to throw the ball there, but I was determined I wasn’t going to drop the second one,” Cravens said. “This was huge, it was a divisional game. You can’t go 0-2 in the division, you can’t go 0-3 on the season. The way we finished it, was huge. You don’t play football for blowouts, you play for games to come down like that, but thank God, we got the win.”