The New York Giants won a huge Sunday Night Football prime-time matchup against the Washington Commanders 20-12, putting the Giants in great position to clinch a playoff spot as the regular season dwindles down.
However, the thriller ended in some major controversy.
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A wild finish to a wild game:
Facing a fourth down and Washington needing six yards to get a touchdown and possibly tie the game with a two-point conversion, Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke threw an incomplete pass that was deflected by Giants DB Darnay Holmes, which ultimately sealed the Giants’ huge road victory.
What initially looked to be a clean defense stop turned out to be a potential missed defensive pass interference call on Holmes, and fans on social media did not hesitate to express their displeasure with the referees’ decision.
Nevertheless, no flag was thrown on the play, and New York headed out of Washington with a big win that now gives them a 90% chance to reach the playoffs, according to ESPN’s analytics.
Giants head coach Brian Daboll defended Holmes when asked about the controversial fourth down play postgame on Sunday night.
“It was a good play. A good play.”
Brian Daboll via ESPN’s Jordan Raanan
Controversy aside, the Giants played a phenomenal game defensively, allowing the Commanders to score just one touchdown after giving up a season-high six touchdowns against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 14.
Some of the Giants’ biggest contributors were Kayvon Thibodeaux, Dexter Lawrence, and Azeez Ojulari, who combined for 17 tackles and two sacks, with 12 of those tackles coming from Thibodeaux.
The Giants face a difficult road ahead as their next matchup is also on the road, this time against the 11-3 Minnesota Vikings, who are coming off of the largest comeback in NFL history, being down by 33 points at one point against the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday and winning in OT to complete the unreal comeback.
The Giants are going to need another strong defensive performance to hold off Kirk Cousins and his lethal Vikings offense.
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