The
Washington Redskins have now won three games in a row after defeating the struggling
New York Giants. The Redskins went to the Meadowlands and took down the rival Giants, 20-10. Washington’s record now improves to 5-2 and they maintain their two-game lead in the NFC East.
Division games are always tough to win, especially on the road. Yes, the Giants were 1-6 entering this matchup but they weren’t going to go down easy against the Redskins. Washington’s fifth-ranked defense played inspired football once again. But in the end,
Adrian Peterson lead the Washington Redskins to victory against the New York Giants.
Adrian Peterson Leads The Washington Redskins to Victory Against the New York Giants
It seems as though the 33-year-old running back has been drinking out of the fountain of youth this year. Against the Giants, Adrian Peterson carried the ball 26 times for 149 yards. He ended the Giants comeback attempt with a 64-yard rushing touchdown with three minutes and six seconds remaining. He also caught a seven-yard touchdown pass in the 1st quarter to put the Redskins up 7-0 early. Peterson averaged an incredible 5.73 yards per carry against the Giants and is averaging 4.6 yards an attempt on the season. He’s been instrumental to the Redskins success so far this year offense and quarterback
Alex Smith has benefitted tremendously as well.
Adrian Peterson is amazing to watch because he’s handling the bulk of the carries for Washington in his 13th season. Peterson is not only the Redskins best signing of the offseason but he may be the best free agent pickup of any team this year. In seven games so far this season, Peterson has now rushed the ball 127 times for 587 yards and four touchdowns. Overall, he ranks fifth in the NFL in total rushing yards. The value that Peterson has brought to the Redskins offense cannot be understated.
But moving forward, Washington needs to consider decreasing Adrian Peterson’s carries. Let’s not forget. Peterson is still 33 years old and now has over 2,700 total carries in his career. Washington needs to ensure that Adrian Peterson isn’t too beat up and is fairly healthy once December and January come around. The Redskins need Peterson as close to 100% as possible to make a real push for the postseason.
The Redskins Defensive Line Contained Electrifying Rookie Running Back Saquon Barkley
The interaction after the game between rookie running back
Saquon Barkley and future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson was memorable. In the clip below, you see how much Peterson admires and respects the talent that the young running back Barkley possess.
Barkley is a once in a generation talent who has the potential to be great. Unfortunately for Barkley, he went up against the Washington Redskins who are currently the leagues second ranked rushing defense. This season the Washington Redskins are now only giving up 80.1 total yards rushing per game. On Sunday, Saquon Barkley rushed the ball 13 times for just 38 yards and no touchdowns. Coming into the game, Barkley had 98 carries for 481 yards and five touchdowns. He also had 49 receptions for 424 yards and two touchdowns proving that he’s a dual threat. The Redskins were not able to completely eliminate Barkley in the passing game as he finished the game with nine catches for 73 yards. But Barkley found no traction in the ground game all day averaging only 2.92 yards per attempt.
Last year the Washington Redskins were ranked dead last in rush yards allowed per game. Their jump to the fifth in the league so far this season is an outstanding improvement. Washington has only given up 561 total rushing yards in seven games this year. The Redskins have yet to allow a running back to rush for 100 yards in a game. And they’ve already faced
David Johnson,
Alvin Kamara &
Mark Ingram,
Christian McCaffrey, and
Ezekiel Elliott.
Safety D.J. Swearinger has another All-Pro Performance
According to Pro-Football Focus, D.J. Swearinger is currently the number one ranked safety in the entire league.
Swearinger wears number 36 in honor of the late great Sean Taylor and his play this year has been strikingly close to the legend. Against the Giants, Swearinger finished the game with two interceptions, five total tackles, and three pass deflections. He now leads the NFL in interceptions with four total. His leadership in the back end of the defense has been vital for the Redskins this year. Swearinger excels at playing down in the box to make tackles around the line of scrimmage. However, he is also excellent at covering the deep part of the field.
D.J. Swearinger was drafted in the second round of the 2013 draft by the Houston Texans. The Redskins signed Swearinger in 2016 after his breakout season with the Arizona Cardinals in 2015. Swearinger started 12 out of 16 games for the Cardinals and had three interceptions, two sacks, 64 total tackles, and eight pass deflections. These past two years for the Redskins, Swearinger has become an every down starter. He credits his growth as a player to all the hard work he’s put in over these last few years and his love for film study. Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders said right now Swearinger is playing at an All-Pro level and he’s a big reason why the Washington Redskins are off to a 5-2 start this season.
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
