Doug Mills/The New York Times
Quarterback Robert Griffin III ran for 72 yards and passed for 163 in the Redskins' victory. More Photos »
LANDOVER, Md. — It seemed like the Giants were past this. Their second-half slump, a veritable staple under Coach Tom Coughlin in recent years, appeared to hit its nadir a few weeks back with a disaster in Cincinnati, and the Giants had rebounded from that thrashing by delivering an utter demolition of Green Bay two Sundays ago.
So yes, it all seemed behind them. In the days after that victory, the Giants had even talked about how they had come together. Had snapped out of it. Had found their focus — a critical development that would allow them to begin the upswing that marked last season's Super Bowl run even earlier this time around.
But instead they slipped back. Faced with an opportunity to put a stranglehold on their division lead and solidify their playoff standing, the Giants melted down, blowing a fourth-quarter lead Monday night and losing to the Washington Redskins, 17-16, before a frenzied crowd at FedEx Field.
A victory would have given the Giants a two-game lead over the Dallas Cowboys in the N.F.C. East with four games remaining; with a loss, the Giants' advantage dropped to a single game over both the Cowboys and the Redskins, who have won three games in a row behind the wunderkind quarterback Robert Griffin III.
"We knew it wasn't going to be easy," defensive end Osi Umenyiora said. "We have to find a way to close this thing out."
His colleague on the defensive line, Jason Pierre-Paul, was blunter: "It's a game we should have won," he said.
Pierre-Paul was far from alone in that thinking. While this defeat was not nearly as ugly as the one to the Bengals (or, for that matter, the Giants' two losses to the Redskins last season), Coughlin and his players will rue the result because of what might have been.
The Giants dominated possession, running more than twice as many plays as Washington through three quarters (55-26) and holding the ball for nearly seven minutes more. They were 9 for 15 on third-down conversions and did not punt the ball in the first half. Running back Ahmad Bradshaw — leading a running game that can often be an offensive bellwether — finished with 103 yards.
In short, the Giants looked to be doing all the things that would have — or should have — built them a sizable lead. Instead, they limped to a 13-10 halftime lead and scored just 3 points in the final 30 minutes, undone by penalties (an uncharacteristic nine for 73 yards for the game), mental mistakes and maddening inconsistency.
"This isn't real complicated," Coughlin said. "I don't know what happened in the second half. We certainly didn't come out to play."
The most frustrating sequence for the Giants was also the game's turning point. It came in the third quarter when Washington, which trailed by 3 points at the time, seemed poised to take the lead as Griffin sprinted 46 yards around left end on a dazzling option play to the Giants' 15. On the next play, however, the rookie running back Alfred Morris fumbled and — after a heated scrum which included defensive tackle Linval Joseph getting kicked in the groin and barely restraining himself from stomping on an opposing player — the Giants survived a replay review and took possession. If they could score a touchdown it would give them a 10-point lead.
But they could not convert. Eli Manning drove the team to the Washington 17-yard line but watched his pass on third down bounce off Victor Cruz's hands, forcing the Giants to settle for a field goal. That left their lead vulnerable and Griffin took advantage, leading a 12-play, 86-yard touchdown drive that he finished with an 8-yard scoring pass to Pierre Garcon.
"We didn't do anything with our opportunities," Coughlin said. "We aren't going to beat anybody with 16 points."
Manning finished the game with respectable numbers, completing 20 of 33 passes for 280 yards, but he could not lead the Giants to another late comeback. At one point during the fourth quarter, as the Giants tried to rally, Manning was sacked for a 7-yard loss and got up shaking his head in frustration as he headed to the sideline.
His counterpart, Griffin, was more buoyant, bouncing around the field in his usual style. For all the attention Manning receives in New York, even his scrutiny cannot compare to the phenomenon that Griffin has become in Washington. Griffin jerseys were ubiquitous in the crowd Monday night — as always — and fans chanted Griffin's nickname, RG3, before the game even began.
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