Washington kicks a game winning field goal after Giants make a deadly mistake

Friday morning wouldn’t have felt as good if Washington lost last night to the New York Giants. They didn’t, squeaking by the skin of their teeth, winning 30-29 thanks to a second chance field goal by Dustin Hopkins with seconds remaining.

Washington heads into the long weekend with a 1-1 record, a much better predicament than 0-2 would have been if that Giants player didn’t jump offsides. But there’s a troubling trend occurring: Washington's defense continues to struggle with big plays.

In last night’s game against the Giants, they allowed a 41-yard run by Saquon Barkley and let quarterback Daniel Jones have success on zone-read keepers. He ran one for 46 yards that would have been a 58-yard touchdown run if not for a penalty. It occurred when Collins bit hard on a fake, allowing room to the outside. Washington allowed 391 total yards, 163 yards on the ground, with an average of 6.1 yards per play. Not good.

If Washington wants to be a playoff team, they must get this corrected. But all is not lost. Yes, the Giants generated points on seven of their 10 possessions, not counting the end-of-half kneel. But Washington held New York to five field goals.

The pass rush showed up, pressuring Jones on 17 of 36 dropbacks at 47.6%, according to Next Gen Stats. They accumulated four sacks and six QB hits, a stark contrast to 16.3% of dropbacks against the Chargers.

Washington escaped in Week 2, but they know they must be better moving forward. The schedule doesn’t get any easier, with their next three opponents are the the Bills, Falcons, and Saints.