EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Pulling off the improbable, the Washington Redskins went up to MetLife Stadium and overcame an ugly start against the NFC East-leading New York Giants to come away with a 23-10 victory Sunday afternoon.

It was the Redskins’ fifth win and, in beating the Giants for a second time this season, Washington registered the first sweep of its division rival since 1999.

“The Giants, they’ve really been our nemesis around here the last five years,” said Redskins linebacker London Fletcher, whose team had fallen to New York nine of the last 10 games entering this season. “To sweep them, it means a lot, because they’re a well-coached football team.”

With quarterback Rex Grossman
turning in a shaky performance, the Redskins relied heavily on their defense. Washington intercepted Giants quarterback Eli Manning three times, winning the turnover battle for the first time all season.

And when Manning went to work in the final quarter — aiming for his seventh fourth-quarter comeback victory of the season — the Redskins twice denied the Giants in the shadow of their own end zone.

Manning finished the game 23 for 40 for 257 yards and no touchdowns. Ahmad Bradshaw led New York in rushing with 10 carries for 58 yards and a touchdown.

Grossman connected on 15 of 24 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown but threw two interceptions. Roy Helu’s streak of three 100-yard rushing games came to an end as the rookie picked up 53 yards on 23 carries while Evan Royster added 36 yards on 10 carries. Jabar Gaffney led Washington with six catches for 85 yards.

“You feel good about the way they played,” Coach Mike Shanahan said of his team, which had lost two straight and last week fell short in a last-second bid to upset the New England Patriots. “I was really disappointed that we couldn’t close the door last week. . . . So to finish the way we did today was nice.”

Washington’s first defining goal-line stand came three minutes into the fourth quarter. After the Redskins extended their lead to 23-3 with 14 minutes 57 seconds left, the Giants finally started showing signs of life. Manning completed four straight passes to march his team to the Redskins 13-yard line.

But on his fifth pass attempt, Manning’s fortunes changed. Redskins cornerback Josh Wilson made a leaping catch in the end zone for an interception and touchback. It was Wilson’s second interception of the season, and his second straight game with a pick.

The Redskins’ defense answered the bell again later in the fourth quarter. Wilson made a strong tackle to deny Giants running back D.J. Ware as he caught a pass and tried to cross the goal line. Initially, the officials ruled the play a touchdown. But a review showed that Ware had bobbled the ball at the line and didn’t secure possession until Wilson wrestled him back the 2.

With the Giants facing fourth and goal from there, Redskins linebacker Brian Orakpo rushed from the edge and drew a holding call from tackle David Diehl, backing the Giants up to the 12-yard line. New York tried for a touchdown on the next play, but rookie linebacker Ryan Kerrigan sacked Manning to deny the Giants and register Washington’s first sack of the game.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) – If the Washington Redskins proved anything, it might be that the New York Giants don’t belong in the playoffs.

Rex Grossman threw a touchdown pass and the Redskins put a major hurt on the Giants and their playoff hopes with a 23-10 victory on Sunday.

Grossman threw a 20-yard scoring pass to Santana Moss, Darrel Young scored on a 6-yard run after one of the Redskins’ three interceptions of Eli Manning and Graham Gano kicked three field goals as Washington (5-9) won for the second time in 10 games — and embarrassed New York for the second time this season.

The loss knocked the Giants (7-7) out of first place in the NFC East.

Dallas (8-6) now leads the division by a game with two to go, including one with Giants on the final weekend. If New York beats the Jets and the Cowboys in its final two games it will win the division. The Cowboys play the Philadelphia Eagles next weekend and might wrap up the division if the Giants fall in their rivalry game with the Jets.

This loss was the fifth in six games for the Giants, who are now in danger of missing the playoffs for the third straight year.

The scenario has been the same each season. New York starts the season quickly and then falters down the stretch, playing some unbelievably bad games with the postseason on the line.

Two years ago, they lost to the Carolina Panthers in their last home game at Giants Stadium

Last season, they went 10-6 and missed the playoffs because they gave away a 21-point lead in a December loss to the Eagles and then were beaten badly in Green Bay late in the season with a playoff berth in their grasp.

This season it has been another collapse after a stunning win over New England left them at 6-2. They lost four in a row and then last week seemed to grab command again by rallying in the fourth quarter to beat the Cowboys in Dallas.

Again, with the playoffs in their grasp, they came out flat against the Redskins, who had already been eliminated from playoff contention.

Even a couple of gift interceptions by Grossman in the first quarter didn’t help.

Gano gave Washington the lead on its second series with a 36-yard field goal that was set up in part by a 19-yard pass from Donte’ Stallworth on a third and 12 from the Giants 39.

Grossman, who finished 15 of 24 for 185 yards, pushed the lead to 10-0 early in the second quarter with his TD pass to a wide open Moss on third-and-8.

If the touchdown had the fans muttering, there was no hiding their feelings minutes later after Oshiomogho Atogwe intercepted a pass that deflected off the hands of running back D.J. Ware and returned it 26 yards to the Giants 41. Nine plays later, Young scored and the fans let the team know it was sick of being let down.

Manning, who finished 23 of 40 for 257 yards, finally got the Giants on the board just before halftime, setting up Lawrence Tynes for a 40-yard field goal.

Instead of gaining momentum, the Giants gave the points right back. DeAngelo Hall made a one-handed interception on the second offensive play of the third quarter. His 26-yard return set up Gano’s 43-yard field goal for a 20-3 lead.

After Tynes missed a 44-yarder on the next series, Gano opened the fourth quarter with a 25-yarder to make it 23-3.

Ahmad Bradshaw scored on a 3-yard run with 33 seconds to play for the Giants’ touchdown.

The Giants were their own worst enemy. Hakeem Nicks dropped what might have been a 54-yard scoring play on their second series on a play in which he got behind the defense and had the pass hit off his facemask as he looked back into the sun.

That’s the way the day was for the Giants, who had only a few faithful fans in the stadium when they scored their touchdown.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – After watching Eli Manning carry the offence with his arm for the first three quarters of the season, the New York Giants are finally showing signs of life in the run game.

For only the second time this season, the Giants (7-6) head into Sunday’s game against Washington (4-9) coming off consecutive 100-yard rushing efforts as a team.

“I thought we started to run a little bit better against Green Bay and I thought it was continued improvement in this game,” offensive co-ordinator Kevin Gilbride said of Sunday’s 110 yards on the ground in the Giants’ remarkable 37-34 win over the Cowboys. “We don’t have huge stats, but I’m looking for consistency. I thought for the most part we got that.”

Brandon Jacobs was outstanding in the game, rushing 19 times for 101 yards and two touchdowns in the comeback win that vaulted the Giants into first-place in the NFC East.

New York — still ranked last in the league in rushing offence, averaging 85.8 yards — had gained 100 yards rushing against Green Bay, after failing to hit the century mark in the three previous games.

The big difference seems to be new line, the fifth starting combination used this season.

David Diehl was moved from left guard to left tackle three games ago after Will Beatty suffered a detached retina. And then, the left guard and centre positions were switched the following week when David Baas suffered from severe headaches and continuing neck problems.

That forced offensive line coach Pat Flaherty to move Kevin Boothe from left guard to centre, with second-year pro Mitch Petrus taking over the guard spot. Chris Snee and Kareem McKenzie remain at the right guard and tackle spots, respectively.

The line opened a couple of excellent holes that allowed Jacobs to get through the first level with some speed and forced the Cowboys defensive backs to come up and stop the 260-pound back.

“I think we have guys in the right place,” Jacobs said. “I think guys are working hard and doing everything they can to make the run game work. I think the offensive line is doing a fabulous job of moving people out of the way and I think E (Eli) is doing a great job of getting us in things that we need to be in. Our coaches are confident in what we are doing and I am confident in what we are doing.

“We just have to keep going.”

Jacobs also ran as hard as he has all season in getting most of the carries with Ahmad Bradshaw sitting in the first half because of disciplinary reasons. There were no signs of the hamstring injury that bothered him for a couple of weeks.

Redskins defensive tackle Barry Cofield, a former Giant, said watching New York’s run game is a shocking, considering Tom Coughlin’s team always was among the league leaders.

“It’s just not like them,” Cofield said. “They’re not the team that they used to be. They used to pound the ball, and I’m sure they would love to get back to that. … I wouldn’t be surprised to see them come out and see them pound the ball.”

Gilbride and Jacobs feel the running game has only taken baby steps. It still has to improve, especially with the Giants next three games being at MetLife Stadium where the wind can make it tough to throw.

“It can be a factor here, weather wise,” Gilbride said. “That’s where you would like to be able to run the ball, but regardless of that, you always would like to have the ability to force people to play honestly. To do that, you have to be able to run the ball a little bit. I think the fact that we did it a little bit better (against) Green Bay, did it even a little bit better last game is a good sign. We’re headed in the right direction.

“We’re not where we want to be, but we’re headed in the right direction and I think that just makes us more difficult to defend.”

Having a run game will make Manning twice as dangerous in a season in which he has already thrown for 4,105 yards and 25 touchdowns.

“It’s a different team. It’s just a completely different look. They’re playing differently,” Cofield said. “They’ve got a lot of different faces in there because of injuries and things like that, and it seems like Eli’s matured, a couple of seasons’ worth of maturity in one year, with how well he’s playing down the stretch this year.”

NOTES: DE Osi Umenyiora probably will not play this weekend because of a high ankle sprain and Baas also seems unlikely the way he talked after missing practice on Thursday. … DE Justin Tuck is nursing a sore toe and probably will be a gametime decision on Sunday. … A subdued Perry Fewell, the defensive co-ordinator, says his unit has not played a complete game this season. … S Kenny Phillips (left knee) hopes to play Sunday after missing the Cowboys’ game.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – After grabbing first place in the NFC East from the Dallas Cowboys with yet another fourth-quarter comeback, the New York Giants head into the final three weeks of the season in control of their playoff fate.

All they have to do is finish, which has been Tom Coughlin’s rallying cry from Day 1 of training camp after late-season collapses cost New York trips to the post-season the past two years.

The playoff scenario for the Giants (7-6) is simple.

Win three games and they are in. Win two of three, and make sure one of the victories is Dallas (7-6) on the final weekend, and that also leads to the post-season.

It all starts Sunday with Washington (4-9), a team that has nothing to play for but the usual non-contender laments of a job next season, pride and just the desire to win.

However, this also is the same team that made the Giants and Eli Manning look miserable in a season-opening 28-14 victory.

Rex Grossman threw for 305 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions and Washington’s defence held New York to one third-down conversion in 10 tries.

“We are not overlooking the Redskins,” said safety Antrel Rolle, who recently said the Giants would beat the Redskins 99 out of 100 times.

“We have respect for each NFL opponent that we face but at the end of the day, I know what we bring to the table and how good we are. I know what the outcome of the game should be come Sunday. It is up to us to go out there and put it on film and make sure the outcome is what we plan.”

Former Giants and current Redskins defensive tackle Barry Cofield expects more from New York this time around.

“I think they may have been confident going into the first game, but I know we shook that confidence by beating them the way we beat them,” Cofield said. “And I think they’ve got a lot of respect for us now, especially the way we’ve been playing the last couple of weeks.”

While they have lost 8 of 9 games, the Redskins have played hard during most of that span.

Last week was no different in a 34-27 loss to the New England Patriots. Washington posted a season-high 463 yards despite playing without tight end Fred Davis and left tackle Trent Williams. Both were out because of season-ending suspensions for violating the NFL’s drugs policy.

An apparent late game-tying touchdown was called back because of an offensive pass interference call against Redskins receiver Santana Moss.

Grossman isn’t interested in playing the role of a spoiler.

“I play this game to win,” he said. “You put so much energy and effort into each week that winning the game and feeling good after the game each Sunday and being proud of what you accomplished, that is plenty of motivation. You are playing for pride and going out there and trying to win and that’s really all the motivation you need as far as I am concerned. If we are spoilers in the process, it doesn’t give you any gratification. It is good to go win.”

In facing the Giants, Grossman will be going against a defence that has given up 121 points and 1,498 yards in its past three games against New Orleans, Green Bay and Dallas.

Grossman downplayed the big numbers.

“They didn’t play as well as they normally do, but those offences present problems to everybody,” Grossman said. “We have to go out and execute our offence and be the best that we can be and focus on our execution. I really don’t worry about how well or how good the defence is. I just worry about how I can execute our plays the best that I can.”

While the Giants defence has struggled, Grossman is bound to see a lot of Jason Pierre-Paul. The second-year defensive end was the NFC defensive player of the week for getting two sacks, a safety, a forced fumble and a blocked field goal attempt on the final play in the Giants’ 37-34 win over Dallas.

On the other side of the ball, Washington will go against Manning, who rallied the Giants from a 12-point deficit in the final five minutes.

Manning is having a career year. He is one of four quarterbacks challenging Dan Marino’s single-season record of 5,084 yards passing.

Aaron Rodgers of Green Bay, Drew Brees of New Orleans and Tom Brady of the Patriots also have a shot at the mark.

Manning has become the master of the fourth-quarter comeback this season. Five times, he has rallied New York from fourth-quarter deficits to win games.

There was a sixth occasion where he led a drive for a game-winning field goal to snap a tie.

In the process, he has thrown 14 fourth-quarter touchdowns, tying an NFL single-season record shared by Johnny Unitas and Peyton Manning. Eli also has thrown for 400 yards three times this season, tying another league mark.

“The most important game of the season is right now,” Manning said. “We know it’s a talented team that beat us earlier in the season. From an offensive standpoint we know they play great defence. They have a lot of talented players. They get sacks on the quarterback. We have to find a way to run the ball like we’ve been doing the last few weeks and hit some big plays in the passing game.”

The Giants also showed some life in the running game this past week with Brandon Jacobs rushing for 101 yards and two touchdowns with Ahmad Bradshaw benched for a half for violating team rules the night before the game.

NORTHBROOK, Ill. (STATS) – The New York Giants’ offensive line has done a
solid job protecting Eli Manning all season. On Sunday night, it came up with
one of its best performances to help put them in control of the NFC East.

The Miami Dolphins, on the other hand, continually saw their quarterbacks
get sacked.

One day later, their coach did too.

The Giants were the only team not to allow a sack in Week 14 and finished
second in the league with a 98.5 rating in the New York Life Protection Index,
while Miami matched an ignominious franchise record by giving up nine of them to
finish with a week-worst minus-36.3.

Oakland finished first with a 103.1 score, thanks mostly to a big early
deficit against Green Bay, which was able to play more conservatively with leads
of 31-0 going into halftime and 43-7 entering the fourth quarter.

The NYLPI is a proprietary formula created by STATS LLC which measures pass
protection by using metrics such as length of passes, penalties by offensive
linemen, sacks allowed and quarterback hurries and knockdowns.

New York, which ranks fifth for the season with a 75.7 NYLPI rating, ended a
four-game losing streak with a 37-34 victory over Dallas, gaining the tiebreaker
over the Cowboys for the division lead. They trailed by 12 points in the fourth
quarter before Manning threw two touchdown passes in the final 3:14.

Manning finished 27 for 47 with 400 yards behind a line that has allowed 21
sacks this season, and his front five stepped up when he needed it most.

“It’s been awhile since we’ve had that winning feeling,” Manning said. “It’s
good to have excited guys with a lot of smiles in the locker room.”

The Giants’ NYLPI rating was their best of the year, and the line play seems
to be coming together just in time: The unit has allowed just two sacks in the
last three games – the fewest in the NFL over that span.

Manning was hurried 11 times, but knocked down only twice.

“I don’t think it mattered how we did it, I think bottom line was about just
getting a win,” center Kevin Boothe said. “We haven’t won in a long time and our
opportunities are getting short. So, it didn’t matter who we were playing and
how much we won by. We always would like to win by a lot more but just getting
back in the win column and putting ourselves in the position to have an
opportunity.

“That is what we play for – to have meaningful games in December, and here
we are with everything in front of us. We just have to take advantage of it.”

While New York boosted its playoff chances, Miami’s already disappointing
season took another hit just as it was showing signs of life, having won four of
five – it’s lone loss being by just one point at Dallas on a last-second field
goal.

On Sunday, however, it was a different story. The Dolphins watched Matt
Moore and J.P. Losman go down nine times in the 26-10 loss to Philadelphia,
dropping them to 4-9 and prompting the team to fire Tony Sparano on Monday.

The number of sacks equaled the franchise record, set Oct. 17, 1999, in a
31-30 win over New England.

“The results speak for themselves,” said owner Stephen Ross, who named
assistant Todd Bowles interim coach. “We’re looking to becoming a winning
organization, and I thought this was the best time to make the change and let us
go in a direction that will allow us to become that.”

After a back injury in the first quarter to Pro Bowl tackle Jake Long,
Miami’s line collapsed. The minus-36.3 score was by far the worst of any team in
Week 14 – Chicago’s minus-3.8 was 31st – and was the second-worst of the season,
behind only a minus-52.7 by San Francisco on Thanksgiving night.

Moore was sacked four times – the fifth time this season he’s been sacked at
least that many times – before leaving the game with a slight concussion. Backup
J.P. Losman didn’t fare much better, getting dropped five times, including once
for a safety in the fourth quarter.

Not surprisingly, Miami’s signal-callers were knocked down a league-most 11
times while attempting to elude oncoming defenders throughout the day.

Moore’s status for next week’s contest against Buffalo is uncertain, while
Losman – a former Bill – waits to find out if he’ll make his first start since
Dec. 7, 2008.

“All the blame is squarely on our shoulders,” said guard Richie Incognito,
who is part of a line that ranks 30th for the season with a 44.1 NYLPI rating.
“We got Matt hurt. They’re a physical group. They just beat us one on one.”

The Packers were similarly dominant over the Raiders, just not in the area
of quarterback pressure. Oakland’s offensive line allowed only one sack and
didn’t commit a single false start or holding penalty, but Carson Palmer’s four
interceptions and the team’s otherwise sloppy play wiped out the effort.

“I’m not going to let this team keep going backwards,” coach Hue Jackson
said. “The last two weeks, we haven’t come close to playing or looking like the
football team we’ve been.”

That statement can certainly be echoed by the Bears, who lost their third
straight game – 13-10 in overtime to Denver – after finishing with a negative
rating in the NYLPI for the second straight week. A week ago, they graded out at
minus-2.7 in a 10-3 loss to Kansas City.

Caleb Hanie, making his third straight start in place of the injured Jay
Cutler, was sacked four times and knocked down six overall, while the offensive
line committed three false start penalties.

The Bears rank third in the league with 24 false starts this season and 25th
with an overall NYLPI grade of 49.9.

“I hate to say it, but we gave this one to them,” Hanie said after Chicago
blew a 10-0 fourth-quarter lead.

New Orleans continues to sit on top of the cumulative year-to-date index
with a score of 86.2. The Saints finished fifth for the week at 83.0 following a
22-17 win at Tennessee.