Big Blue View
The New York Giants defeated the Las Vegas Raiders, 34-10, in Week 17. It was a bounce-back game for Jaxson Dart, who finished with 207 passing yards and two rushing touchdowns. The rookie quarterback didn’t need to do much but looked comfortable and composed against a team that doesn’t seem eager to win. Nevertheless, Dart’s offense had 343 total yards and was 7 of 14 on third and fourth down.
New York played complementary football for, seemingly, the first time this season. Not only did the defense hold Ashton Jeanty to 60 yards on 16 carries, after he ran all over the Houston Texans last week, but they also forced two interceptions that proved costly for the Raiders. The offense moved with ease, and the special teams added a touchdown with a Tae Banks return.
Overall, the Giants played respectably and won the game. They now lose the first overall pick unless the Giants defeat Dallas next week and the Raiders defeat the Chiefs. Nevertheless, here are the five plays, or sequence of plays, that led to the Giants’ victory.
The Giants responded to the Raiders’ field goal with an eight-play, 65-yard drive that featured a lot of Dart’s legs – 21 yards total on the drive, including this 12-yard touchdown run:
Mike Kafka dialed up a fast four to the three receiver side, which lightened the box on the designed QB draw (once Devin White No. 45 followed Tyrone Tracy Jr. (28). Dart did the rest and finished the play while taking a big shot. Dart also connected for 21 yards to Darius Slayton on a first-and-10 completion. Dart added a second rushing touchdown on fourth-and-1, which was the dagger that ended the Raiders’ slim chances to compete in the game:
Geno Smith (7) threw an interception right to the veteran linebacker when Okereke (58) passed off the clearout and undercut Michael Mayer (87). Okereke returned this red zone turnover to set up the offense’s first touchdown, which Devin Singletary seized with a 1-yard touchdown rush. This was the Giants’ seventh interception of the season.
Dane Belton intercepted Geno Smith on third-and-6 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, and that would be Smith’s last snap of the game after he was blindside blocked by Rico Payton. The Raiders, down 17 points when the interception happened, had a feeble pulse; the Giants’ offense was moving the football, Deonte Banks returned a kick for a touchdown, and Geno Smith had little time to throw the football with Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, and the defensive tackles easily getting pressure.
Wan’Dale Robinson caught 11 of 14 passes for 113 yards, putting him at 1,014 total yards on the season. It is the first time Robinson has secured the thousand milestone, and I’m sure it will be yet another negotiation chip for Robinson, who *The Sports and...
