New York Giants Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie Had Huge Day Against Washington Redskins

The New York Giants defeated the Washington Redskins 19-10 on Sunday at FedEx Field. Cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie helped lead the team to a victory with an impressive defensive performance. 

It was a must-win game on Sunday for the Washington Redskins, as they needed a win over the New York Giants in order to secure a spot in the playoffs. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie proved to be a thorn in Washington’s side, however, as his two interceptions helped the Giants eliminate the Redskins from playoff contention.

Although Janoris Jenkins has been the Giants’ top cornerback this season, Rodgers-Cromartie was the one who had the big day in the regular season finale. Jenkins missed last week’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles due to a back injury. He did play a little bit against the Redskins but did not have nearly the same impact on the game that Rodgers-Cromartie did.

The Redskins struggled mightily to get anything going against the Giants defense in the first two quarters of the game. Washington was forced to punt on their first five drives of the half. When they finally got a chance to score right before halftime, kicker Dustin Hopkins missed a 57-yard field goal.

Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins did not throw at Rodgers-Cromartie often, but when he did, it did not go well for him. With his team trailing 10-0 late in the third quarter, Cousins was able to connect with wide receiver Pierre Garcon for a 49-yard pass play.

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This gave the Redskins a great opportunity to put points on the board, as they had the ball at the Giants’ 23-yard line. On the next play, however, Cousins’ pass intended for Maurice Lynell Harris was intercepted by Rodgers-Cromartie. Any momentum that the Redskins had gained on the previous play was quelled by this interception.

The Redskins were able to make a comeback later in the second half. After getting on the board with a field goal near the end of the third quarter, Washington stopped the Giants offense and got the ball back trailing 10-3.

Cousins led his team down the field and was finally able to get the ball into the end zone when he hit tight end Jordan Reed for a 1-yard touchdown pass. This tied up the game. A few possessions later, the Giants retook the lead on a Robbie Gould 40-yard field goal. This left Cousins and the Redskins with one final chance to score.

With under two minutes to play, the Redskins were driving and had the ball just over midfield in Giants’ territory. Once again however, Cousins made the mistake of throwing at Rodgers-Cromartie.

This time, he was looking for Garcon over middle, but the pass was picked off by Rodgers-Cromartie. This interception essentially sealed the victory for the Giants, thus crushing the Redskins’ playoff hopes.

Rodgers-Cromartie finished the regular season with six interceptions, four of which came over the last three games of the regular season. If he can continue to play at this elite level, opposing offenses are going to continue to struggle against the Giants defense. Not only are they going to have to worry about Rodgers-Cromartie, but also Jenkins and safety Landon Collins. This dynamic secondary has been among the NFL’s best this season.

The performance from the defense must continue to be strong if the Giants hope to make a run in the playoffs. The way things are looking right now, everyone seems focused and ready to go for next week.