Redskins take control of the East
The Washington Redskins won the big NFC Showdown on Sunday Night Football at Jack Kent Cooke Stadium as the Skins defeated the New York Giants, 24-16, to take control of the division with four weeks of the season to go.
In the battle of division rivals, it was the Redskins who came up with the big plays to win the game and none bigger was when Brian Mitchell took the second half kickoff 101 yards for a touchdown to give the Skins a 17-13 lead. With the return, Mitchell tied an NFL record with the most kickoff returns in a season with 4. Only two other players accomplished this feat. Cecil Turner of the Bears did it in 1970 and Travis Williams of the Packers in 1967.
Redskin running back Stephen Davis didn’t have many rushing yards on the night, five, but had the most impact in the running game as he scored two red zone TDs. RB Terry Allen was held to 44 yards rushing on 19 carries.
The Giants just couldn’t take advantage of scoring opportunities. They missed a field goal in the red zone and then took the ball down inside the Redskins’ five-yard line with seconds to play but couldn’t convert to tie the game. The Giants outgained the Redskins, 296 to 208, but they couldn’t convert on the scoring plays to win the game.
The two teams will meet up again in three weeks in Washington, but in the meantime, the Giants, 7-5, will take on the Tampa Buccaneers at home next week, while the Redskins, 8-4, will host the Rams next Sunday.