The very first play of the night for the Giants was not a disaster, but it was close. Redskins defensive end Brian Orakpo beat left tackle Will Beatty with an inside move and had a clear lane to drop Eli Manning for a 9-yard sack.
One play, one mishap for Beatty.
“We’ve had our share of those,’’ coach Tom Coughlin said on Monday, the day after the Giants’ 24-17 victory over the Redskins. “We’re doing the best we can to try to straighten that out. It’s not always the newer guys who have entered into the picture either.’’
No, it wasn’t one of the new guys on the line, rookie right tackle Justin Pugh or replacement starter James Brewer at left guard. Beatty is supposed to be a fixture on the line, which is why before this season he signed a five-year contract worth up to $38.75 million, with $19 million in guaranteed money.
For that expenditure, the Giants are not getting their money’s worth. Beatty has been improved in the run game, but his pass protection has been suspect. In the third quarter Sunday night, he was beaten a second time by Orakpo for a sack.
Peyton Hillis did not play in back-to-back games, but with Brandon Jacobs out with a knee injury, Hillis showed a spring in his step, rushing six times for 45 yards, including a 27-yard burst.
“His attitude remained great and when given the opportunity, he did perform and he did help us and that run was certainly a big part of that as he maneuvered around a couple of guys and actually ran through a tackle and continued down the field and that was a big plus,’’ Coughlin said.
It has been a strange season for Spencer Paysinger. He was the starting weak side linebacker at the start, lost his job and his entire role on defense after Jon Beason was signed and, suddenly, he reappeared in the starting lineup against the Redskins, replacing Jacquian Williams. Paysinger contributed eight tackles to help completely limit Washington running back Alfred Morris, who had 11 rushing attempts and only 26 yards.
The Giants entered the fourth quarter trailing 17-14, which usually means they are going to lose. They had lost their previous 10 games in which they were behind entering the fourth quarter, including all seven of their losses this season. … Did it seem as if the ball didn’t touch the ground very often when Manning was throwing it? He completed 22 of his 28 passes, a percentage of 78.6. That’s the second-highest of his career for a full game. He went 26-for-33 (78.8 percent) against the Cardinals in Arizona on Nov. 23, 2008.