LANDOVER, Md. — It took three words for Tom Coughlin to describe what his Giants did in last night’s devastatingly dominant and overwhelming 45-12 mauling of the Redskins at FedEx Field.
“We ascended tonight,” Coughlin said.
And then, it took the veteran coach one simple sentence to succinctly state the task up ahead:
“We have to continue to do that.”
With numbing efficiency, the Giants not only kept their postseason hopes alive but for the first time in a long time actually looked like a real playoff team. With Eli Manning operating at near-perfect efficiency, they scored the first four times they touched the ball en route to building a 24-0 halftime lead. Their beleaguered defense, minus two cornerbacks, rose up and mauled the feeble Redskins, pummeling quarterback Jason Campbell, sacking him five times to hearken back to the early-season glory days.
“It’s been a while,” center Shaun O’Hara said of the completeness of the triumph.
Just like that, the Giants (8-6) pumped new life into their playoff chances. If they play like they did in devouring the listless Redskins, they might actually get it done.
“We were playing for a lot more than they were,” defensive tackle Barry Cofield said. “If we couldn’t win this game we don’t deserve to be in the playoffs. It was a must-win for us and just another game for them.”
Sure enough, but the Redskins (4-10) were feisty and competitive in their last five games, but not on this night as they played as if they can’t wait for head coach Jim Zorn to get the ouster that’s coming his way following the season.
“We were the team with more at stake,” Coughlin said, “and we played that way.”
The Redskins won the coin toss and Zorn opted to defer. Bad move. The Giants accepted the gift, marched 80 yards in 16 plays and took 9:13 off the clock before Ahmad Bradshaw ran for the first of his two touchdowns. The Redskins did not attain a first down until 3:20 remained in the second quarter and it was met with mock cheers from the crowd.
By the time Manning took a seat midway through the fourth quarter he had already sliced and diced the Skins for 268 yards and three touchdown passes, hitting Steve Smith, Derek Hagan and Mario Manningham.
“That was a big emphasis for us, getting off to a fast start,” Manning said.
Even though cornerbacks Corey Webster (knee) and Aaron Ross (hamstring) weren’t in uniform the Giants came up with their best defensive effort in months. Figure the Redskins had something to do with that.
“Santana [Moss] said it’s like they know what we’re doing,” Campbell said. “They’re the only team we feel that way about.”
No one will confuse the Redskins with the Saints, but in the last three games they had scored 24, 30 and 34 points. Well, the music sure stopped for the Skins, who managed just a single first down, 78 total yards and zero points in the first half.
Booed early and often, Campbell was forcefully removed from the game late in the second quarter. He was sacked by Osi Umenyiora, who landed directly on Campbell, injuring the quarterback’s shoulder. Campbell was able to return in the third quarter but defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan’s unit continued to feast. Cornerback Terrell Thomas turned an interception of Campbell into a 14-yard touchdown return that inflated the third-quarter lead to 38-6.
“I’m not going to act like we just won the Super Bowl,” Umenyiora said. “We just won one game. I think for us as a team we’re concerned about playing the way we’re supposed to play.”