Antonio Gibson rushed for 146 yards and a touchdown as the Washington Football Team closed the season with a 22-7 win over the New York Giants on Sunday in East Rutherford, N.J.
In a defensive struggle, Washington’s Bobby McCain scored the game’s first touchdown late in the third quarter, returning an interception 30 yards as his team (7-10) snapped a four-game losing streak. McCain added another interception on the game’s final play.
It was the sixth straight loss for New York (4-13), each by double-digit margins. The Giants had hope when Jake Fromm threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Darius Slayton, cutting Washington’s lead to 12-7 with 11:24 left.
But Washington responded on the ensuing possession. Gibson accounted for 57 of the drive’s 78 yards, the final 18 coming on his touchdown run with 6:28 left.
Gibson averaged nearly 7.0 yards on his 21 carries as he became Washington’s first 1,000-yard rusher since Adrian Peterson in 2018. Gibson’s 21 touchdowns in his first two seasons are a franchise record, as he topped Albert Morris’ mark of 20.
Washington controlled possession much of the afternoon as it outgained New York 325-177. WFT quarterback Taylor Heinicke completed 9 of 18 passes for 120 yards. Terry McLaurin caught four passes for 93 yards.
Washington limited Fromm to 15 completions on 31 attempts for 103 yards and held Saquon Barkley to 11 yards on 30 rushes. New York’s most effective weapon was Fromm’s legs as he scrambled five times for 53 yards.
In a static first half, Washington scored field goals on its first and final possessions to take a 6-0 lead. Heinicke scrambled away from pressure and threw a 30-yard pass to McLaurin to set up the first score, a 23-yard field goal by Joey Slye.
Late in the half, McLaurin made an over-the-shoulder catch near the sideline for 40 yards to set up a 43-yard field goal by Slye.
Late in the game, after Tim Settle recovered a fumble by Fromm, Slye made another field goal — from 23 yards — as he finished 12-for-12 on 3-pointers after he was picked up by Washington in November.
–Field Level Media