USA TODAY International Edition
WASHINGTON SHOWS RESILIENCY
Team weathers injuries, wins hard way vs. Giants
DeSean Jackson was sitting at his corner locker, chewing on Washington’s improbable comeback win Sunday, when cornerback Bashaud Breeland came hobbling by on crutches. Breeland’s right foot was in a walking boot. Time for a quick update.
“What did you do?” Jackson asked. Breeland: “Ankle sprain.” “Anything broken?” “Nah.” Jackson nodded, and Breeland gingerly continued his journey.
That exchange said much about what went down inside MetLife Stadium, where Washington not only rallied from a 12point deficit to sting the New York Giants 29- 27 but also collectively overcame a rash of injuries that tested its fortitude and adaptability.
Breeland was the first to go, knocked out of the game on the first series with a high ankle sprain. He’ll have an MRI on Monday. Jackson, who ignited the comeback with a 44- yard TD catch, went to the locker room just before halftime with knee and ankle injuries. Then he re- turned. DeAngelo Hall was knocked out, too, with a sprained knee. No crutches.
Offensive linemen Shawn Lauvao and Kory Lichtensteiger went down for the count with ankle and calf injuries, respectively, which led to Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams moving inside to left guard for the first time (“Confusing,” he said). The switch helped trigger the return of the long- lost running game that came to life in the fourth quarter. Matt Jones ran eight times for a gritty 37 yards to own the 10- play drive that produced the game- winning points with Dustin Hopkins’ fifth field goal, a 37- yarder.
But this didn’t happen until Jones had returned after being evaluated for a concussion.
Yet the defining measure was demonstrated with Washington’s resilience. Staring at the prospect of 0- 3, you’re now looking at a team that, for as much as one game in September can dictate, might have saved its season. At least that’s how it felt in the jubilant locker room.
Of course, this survival game was headlined by the rematch that pitted new Washington cornerback Josh Norman against star wideout Odell Beckham Jr. Although Beckham, usually covered by Norman, had big numbers with seven catches for 121 yards, Norman’s team won.
When Norman tackled Beckham at the 12- yard line, holding him to an 8- yard gain on thirdand- 10, it forced the Giants to settle for a field goal. Naturally, the flamboyant cornerback posed to mark the occasion, freezing as he raised his right fist in the air.
Given the winds of protest among us, I wondered whether the gesture was a Black Power sa- lute or the officials’ signal indicating that it’s fourth down.
Maybe it was both? Norman laughed. “That means I’ll probably get a letter from the league,” he told USA TODAY Sports.
Unlike the game last December when the combatants combined for five penalties, one suspension, one huge fine and the inspiration for new NFL rules governing unsportsmanlike conduct, Norman and Beckham played hard and generally kept their heads.
Look at who got ejected: Giants center Weston Richburg of all people, who taunted Norman after a questionable block, his second unsportsmanlike penalty. It was the face of the Giants’ lack of discipline, which was also measured by 11 penalties for 128 yards.
Washington bungled the clock management on a third- and- goal from the 4 just before halftime when Kirk Cousins, working with six seconds, held on long enough for Jason Pierre- Paul to slap the football out of the quarterback’s hand. No throw away. No field goal. No points. Halftime.
But they won anyway, the outcome sealed when rookie Su’a Cravens made an interception.
Norman, for one, learned something about his new team.
“We’re fighters,” he said. “We’re scrappy. Gritty …”
Norman had no shortage of words to describe his new band of brothers. They won a game the hard way and survived to keep their hope intact, even if the bodies suggest otherwise.