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Strong second half leads Giants past Redskins

Dec 2, 2013 - 6:24 AM Landover, MD (SportsNetwork.com) - Justin Tuck and the New York Giants still have some fight left.

Tuck matched his 2012 sack total with four and the New York Giants defeated the Washington Redskins 24-17 on Sunday night.

Eli Manning threw for 235 yards on 22-of-28 efficiency with a touchdown and interception and Andre Brown ran for 35 yards and a pair of scores for the Giants (5-7), who have won five of their last six games. Brandon Myers caught five passes for 61 yards and a score in the triumph.

New York is two games behind the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles for the top spot in the NFC East with four games to play.

"After last week's loss we were probably going to have to win five in a row," Manning said.

Robert Griffin III had just one incompletion (16-of-17) in the first half and finished 24-of-32 for 207 yards and a touchdown. He added 88 yards rushing on 12 totes for Washington, which has been eliminated from playoff contention following its fourth straight loss.

Washington totaled just 95 yards in the second half.

The Redskins raced out to a 14-0 lead early in the second before the Giants outscored them 24-3 the rest of the way.

Manning hit Myers and Victor Cruz for completions of 18 and 19 yards, respectively, to put the ball at the Washington 1-yard line and Brown plunged in from a yard out on the first play of the fourth to give the Giants their first lead of the game, 21-17. Their drive was set up by a partially blocked punt by Damontre Moore.

Josh Brown booted through a 39-yard field goal with 2:32 left to make it 24-17.

Griffin converted a 4th-and-3 with a 9-yard completion to Logan Paulsen on Washington's ensuing sequence and faced with a 2nd-and-5 at its own 41, Griffin flipped a four-yard completion to Pierre Garcon.

While the Redskins were faced with a 3rd-and-1, the chains said first down. Washington then took a shot downfield to Fred Davis -- instead of just trying to pick up a first down --, but Antrel Rolle's hit pryed the ball loose for an incompletion.

"It did affect our playcalling," Washington head coach Mike Shannahan said of the third-down play.

Griffin's ensuing throw hit Pierre Garcon on fourth down along the right sideline, but Will Hill ripped the ball away from him to seal the outcome.

"No explanation, no measurement," Griffin said of the chain snafu. "We just had to go call the play and go for it on fourth down."

Earlier, Washington took nearly half of the first-quarter clock off with its opening 15-play, 73-yard drive. Griffin flipped a 12-yard completion to Fred Davis, which moved the ball to the Giants' 2-yard line on a 3rd-and-7 before Morris plunged in two plays later for the frame's lone score.

Griffin hit Paulsen over the middle on a 3rd-and-9 for a 19-yard TD pass early in the second quarter.

The Giants accumulated just five yards on six plays in the opening 12 minutes, but recorded 160 yards on 18 plays in the second.

New York answered the Redskins' score with a 6-play, 74-yard scoring trek. Peyton Hillis rumbled for a 27-yard gain before Brown broke off a 23-yard TD run off the right side two snaps later to cut the gap to 14-7 midway through the stanza.

A bit later, after both teams exchanged three straight three-and-outs, Manning found Myers over the middle for a 22-yard score with 35 ticks left in the first half.

Brandon Meriweather intercepted a Manning pass during the middle stages of the third quarter and returned it 32 yards down to the Giants' 12. This led to a 33-yard Kai Forbath field goal for a 17-14 Washington advantage.

Game Notes

The Giants were 4-of-12 on third down, while Washington finished 5-of-16 ... New York outgained the Redskins, 323-286 ... The Redskins have not made the postseason in 17 of the last 21 years.