The New York Giants and Washington Redskins squared off in “The Chase Young Bowl” on Sunday and for two teams that would have benefited by losing, they certainly gave an A+ effort for the win.
The game itself was back-and-forth from the start, featuring many big plays, bad calls and bizarre circumstances — befitting of two 3-11 teams.
In the end, the Giants walked away victorious with a 41-35 overtime victory.
Winners
Saquon Barkley: If you had any doubt that Barkley was truly back, he squashed those concerns in Week 16. In an all-time performance, Barkley dominated in all aspects, gaining 189 yards on 22 carries with one touchdown while adding 90 yards and one touchdown on four receptions.
Daniel Jones: In his first game back since suffering a high ankle sprain, Jones was extremely effective and really showed the football world what he’s capable of doing in this league. Yes, he had another fumble (not lost), but he also had five touchdown passes, tying Deshaun Watson and Fran Tarkenton for the most four-plus-touchdown performances (3) in the debut season of any player in NFL history.
Julian Love: How can you watch Love and not love (not pun intended) how he plays the game? He’s fast, shifty, not afraid of contact and gives it his all on every play. Was it flawless on Sunday? No, but his positive plays far outweigh his negative plays. This kid has a bright future.
Lorenzo Carter: Carter has had a down year for the Giants and really needed to flash at some point over the final two weeks. He did on Sunday. He was all over the field and especially strong rushing the passer, recording 1.5 sacks on the day.
Defensive line: The Giants have been horrible on defense this season, but I maintain the defensive line has played exceptionally well and even more so since the arrival of Leonard Williams. He, Dalvin Tomlinson, B.J. Hill and Dexter Lawrence all shined again on Sunday, creating pressure and shutting down any runs between the hash marks.
Offensive line: There was an expected drop off without Manning under center, but that was not the case for the O-line in Week 16. Even with Nick Gates replacing Mike Remmers (concussion), the unit payed collective well, giving Daniel Jones time and opening up enough holes for Barkley to have a field day.
Others: Da’Mari Scott, David Mayo, Kaden Smith, Cody Core
Losers
Antonio Hamilton: Hamilton has been a liability in coverage all season long and was again against Washington. But he’s also been dominant on special teams, so it was disappointing to see Hamilton block a gunner right into the punt returner, preventing any sort of positive yardage.
Pat Shurmur: Shurmur gets a nod for some creative play calling, especially on the first scripted series of the game, but it’s impossible to overlook his other flaws. His use of timeouts and challenges continue to be among the worst in all of football and if not for the Redskins bailing him out, some of those timeout choices would look even worse than they already do. And his clock management? It’s a joke.
NFL officials: Referees are consistent losers week-to-week, but that commonality won’t preclude them from being raked over the coals. They missed two facemask penalties (Barkley the victim on both), a personal foul by Landon Collins and numerous other calls throughout the day. The NFL has got to address this problem.
Others: Sam Beal, Aldrick Rosas, Corey Ballentine
Mixed reviews
DeAndre Baker: Baker has showed tremendous strides in recent weeks and at moments, did again in Week 16. At other times however, including a second half pass interference penalty, he reminded everyone that he’s still a rookie making rookie mistakes.
Markus Golden: Golden dominated as a sheer pass rusher on Sunday, recording 1.0 sack to push his total to 10 on the season, becoming the first Giants linebacker to secure double-digit sacks in a season since Jessie Armstead did it in 1999. Against the run and in coverage (why is he still being dropped into zone coverage), however? Not nearly as productive.
Note: Current box score says 0.5 sacks for Golden, but that shared sack may be changed to a full sack.
Golden Tate: His yards after the catch? Impressive. His change of direction? Remarkable. But two dropped passes in one game? Unheard of and unacceptable.
Others: Cody Latimer
