Hogs Haven
The Commanders entered Week 15 with a question to answer. Were they the team that fought the Denver Broncos through a nail-biting loss in overtime, or was the team that got shut out by the Minnesota Vikings the following week closer to their true identity.
The 29-21 road victory over the division rival Giants was marred by mistakes and poor execution at times, but on balance the big plays and standout performances were enough to put Washington back in the win column for the first time since Week 5. Washington led the Giants from the field goal on the opening drive to through to the final whistle.
While a few plays might have reminded fans of the previous week’s shutout loss, overall the Commanders looked more like the team that came within a missed two-point conversion from beating the Broncos. While their playoff aspirations were extinguished a few weeks ago, some strong performances by rookies and some of the vets provide hope as thoughts turn to next season.
Here is a detailed look at who played where, who stood out and who didn’t in the Commanders’ road win over the New York Giants.
Expected Points Added (EPA) quantifies the contribution of individual plays to a team’s scoring potential on a drive. These are all the plays with EPA greater than 2.4 or less than -2.4.
Biggest Plays for the Commanders
Q4, 13:56, 1st and 20 at WAS 49: Marcus Mariota pass complete deep middle to Terry McLaurin for 51 yards, touchdown**. EPA 4.81**
Q1, 11:49, 3rd and 10 at WAS 43: Marcus Mariota pass complete deep right to Noah Brown for 28 yards. EPA 3.08
Q4, 2:52, 2nd and 10 at WAS 25: Marcus Mariota pass complete deep middle to Ben Sinnott for 36 yards. EPA 2.92
Q2, 13:44, 2nd and 4 at NYG 16: Jacory Croskey-Merritt up the middle for 16 yards, touchdown. EPA 2.54
Q4, 10:27, 4th and 4 at WAS 4: Jaxson Dart pass incomplete short middle intended for Wan’Dale Robinson. EPA -2.65
Q4, 15:00, 4th and 18 at WAS 33: Younghoe Koo 51 yard field goal no good. EPA -2.81
Q1, 7:03, 4th and 6 at WAS 33: Younghoe Koo 51 yard field goal no good. EPA -2.89
Q2, 1:20, 4th and 20 at NYG 15: Cameron Johnston punts 48 yards, returned by Jaylin Lane for 63 yards, touchdown. Penalty on Zaire Barnes: Ineligible Downfield Kick, 5 yards (declined). EPA -4.56
Q2, 0:24, 2nd and 4 at WAS 35: Jaxson Dart pass short middle intended for Jalin Hyatt is intercepted by Mike Sainristil at WAS-21 and returned for 55 yards. EPA -7.09
Biggest Plays for the Giants
Q4, 3:49, 4th and 5 at WAS 16: Jaxson Dart pass complete deep right to Wan’Dale Robinson for 16 yards, touchdown**. EPA 4.57**
Q2, 3:43, 3rd and 10 at WAS 12: Tyrone Tracy run 12 yds, touchdown. EPA 3.88
Q3, 2:47, 4th and 1 at NYG 40: Jaxson Dart pass complete short left...
