EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Jacory Croskey-Merritt ran for a touchdown, fellow rookie Jaylin Lane returned a punt 63 yards to the end zone and the Washington Commanders ended their season-derailing skid at eight games by beating the similarly woeful New York Giants 29-21 on Sunday.
The only NFL game this week with no playoff implications has a far bigger bearing on draft positioning. The Giants (2-12) lost their eighth in a row, moving a step closer to the top pick, a last-place finish in the NFC East and potentially front-office changes, with a coaching search already coming.
New York did not have the same expectation as Washington (4-10), which was coming off an improbable run to the conference championship game in Jayden Daniels’ AP Offensive Rookie of the Year season. Daniels didn’t play Sunday after aggravating a left elbow injury, so it was Marcus Mariota who quarterbacked the Commanders to their first victory since Oct. 5.
Mariota connected with top receiver Terry McLaurin on a 51-yard catch-and-run TD early in the fourth quarter. That was one of only 10 passes Mariota completed on 19 attempts for 211 yards, with a fumble.
That, along with a defensive effort that included Von Miller sacking Jaxson Dart to reach 136 1/2 in his career and pass Jared Allen for 12th on the all-time list, turned out to be enough. Dart had TD passes to Tyrone Tracy and Wan’Dale Robinson but also threw a costly interception and was incomplete on a fourth-and-goal attempt with 10 minutes left.
Tracy ran for the Giants’ first touchdown after falling behind 13-0, and his TD catch happened when they were down 22-7.
Dart went into the blue medical tent for an injury evaluation after taking a big hit on a designed run but missed only two plays before going back in. He finished 20 of 36 for 246 yards.
Commanders: WR Noah Brown was initially listed as questionable to return because of a back injury, which was changed to ribs when he was ruled out at halftime. … LT Laremy Tunsil returned after leaving with a back injury, then exited again with an oblique ailment. … DT Eddie Goldman was evaluated for a concussion.
Giants: Edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux missed a fourth consecutive game because of a shoulder injury.
Commanders: Host the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday.
Giants: Visit the Las Vegas Raiders next Sunday.
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