Mr. Irrelevant Crowder makes big play for Giants

The Giants can thank the relevance of Mr. Irrelevant for their first win of the season.

Rookie linebacker Tae Crowder, the last player taken in the NFL draft in 2020, scooped up a fumble and ran 43 yards for a touchdown to give New York what proved to be the gamewinning score in a 20-19 victory over Washington.

On a third- and- 9 from the Giants 45, linebacker Kyler Fackrell strip-sacked QB Kyle Allen for an 8-yard loss. Crowder chased down the bouncing ball, gained possession and ran untouched to the end zone.

“I have to say big ups to my teammate, Kyler Fackrell, for making a big play, and I was in the right place at the right time,” Crowder said. “Just trying to make a play for my team.”

A lot of players who are picked last in the draft don’t do anything in the NFL, never make a play or even never make a team. Crowder, out of Georgia, seems to enjoy the notoriety of being Mr. Irrelevant.

“I took it as motivation. I love the name,” he said. “I just wanted to get here, get to work with my team. One of my goals for this year was to help the team in any way I can.”

BAD D, MAN, BAD D >> The Jaguars have a new benchmark for bad defense.

The Jags allowed at least 30 points for a franchise-record fifth consecutive game in a 34-16 loss to Detroit. They also gave up more than 400 yards for the fourth time in six games.

“We’ve tried to do ever y thing,” coach Doug Marrone said. “We’ve done things. We’ve worked on them. We’ve changed things up. We’ve pressured. ... We need someone to step up and make plays.”

AND FOR SOME GOOD DEFENSE >> The Ravens have forced a turnover in 19 straight games, the longest active streak in the NFL and second-longest in franchise history. Baltimore has 33 takeaways during the 19game stretch.

CHART CLIMBING >> Lions running back Adrian Peterson, who ran for 40 yards on 15 carries Sunday, notched his 82nd game with at least one touchdown run, breaking a fourth-place tie with Hall of Famer Walter Payton. He trails Emmitt Smith (117), Marcus Allen (92) and LaDainian Tomlinson (92).