The Takeaways, week 15: Washington over New York Giants
December 16, 2025
by Steve Thomas
Washington got a much-needed victory over the division rival New York Giants this past Sunday, albeit not before making every effort to allow the Giants to stay in the game. It doesn’t matter, though, as Washington ultimately was able to win the game. I fully recognize that this win hurts Washington’s draft status, but does that really matter now? Isn’t it much better to see the team finally break out of its run of terrible play to actually look like an NFL team again? I think so. The draft can wait – don’t worry, they’ll still be pretty far up the draft order, people. I’d much rather see the team earn back some of their dignity, even though this particular game wasn’t exactly a mistake-free cakewalk. The Takeaways for week 15 are below.
Overall effort was better
There’s no doubt that Washington acted like they wanted to win this week, for a change. I’m fully aware that this was the Giants, who’ve only won 2 games all season, but still: when you’re Washington in 2025, a win is a win. More importantly, the team played hard on both sides of ball and acted like it mattered. On defense, they were able to get at least some pressure on Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart for the first time in what seemed like forever, even though they ultimately only got 1 sack. Execution was mostly better on offense, as well, in both the running and passing game. I am fully aware that this probably won’t last in the coming three weeks, with two games against the Eagles and one against Dallas coming up, but for one week, at least, it was good to watch a team that acted like a professional organization.
Commitment to the running game
Washington finally demonstrated a commitment to the ground game, for one of the first times all season, with a total of 37 runs, including 27 to the running backs, as compared to just 19 pass attempts. The two running backs, Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Jeremy McNichols, combined for 28 carries for 139 yards, which is 5.0 yards per carry, and 1 touchdown. That’s the type of running Washington should have been doing on a weekly basis, not just against the Giants, who admittedly have one of the worst run defenses in the league. I also recognize that several, if not most, of Mariota’s runs were scrambles on called pass plays, but still: this is the type of game plan that Kliff Kingsbury should have been calling for most of the year.
Turnovers
Washington did their best to allow the Giants to back into victory courtesy of two ill-timed turnovers that were recovered by the New York, as well as two more which Washington was able to get back. These aren’t the kind of mistakes that Washington will get away with against better teams. It’s only because the Giants were unable to convert on one of the turnovers late in the game that Washington actually hung on for the victory. I readily admit that fumbles are going to happen; they’re just a part of the game, but nevertheless, it sure didn’t seem like either Mariota’s fumble or McNichols’ fumble had to happen.
Jalin Lane
Lane was drafted by Washington this year because of his abilities as a punt returner, first and foremost, and he’s delivered big as a rookie. Lane got his second punt return for a touchdown this season this week, at a crucial point in the game that mattered. He’s been very good all year at punt returns. Let’s hope that this can continue on throughout his career. It would be nice to know that the team is set at this particular skill for years to come, for the first time since the years of Brandon Banks. Dare I say it? I hope I didn’t just jinx Lane. Seriously, congratulations to Lane for living up to his billing, because that’s something that doesn’t happen too often for Washington’s draft picks.
This wasn’t Marcus Mariota’s best effort
Look, the team got the win, and that’s what ultimately matters, but the fact of the matter is that Marcus Mariota didn’t play very well at times in this game. His 10 for 19 completions equates to a completion percentage of just 52.6%, and his fumble late in the fourth quarter cost the team a touchdown. At halftime, he was far worse than that. It’s not that he was terrible; he made a couple of boneheaded plays that cost the team. I still think that Mariota is just about the best backup for Jayden Daniels that Washington could hope for, but this wasn’t his best effort, despite his 109.8 overall quarterback rating. That’s all the more ironic given that Washington was able to win for the first time in two months.
That’s it for this week. I’ll be back next week after Washington home battle with the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.