New York ends Washington’s playoff hopes 19-10

LANDOVER — The end came without mercy, sending the Washington Redskins home with a loss against a team with nothing to gain.

There would be no consecutive playoff appearances for the first time since 1991-92. No waiting to find out where next week’s travel would send the team. No more playing this season, one that dipped and rolled and rose, only to end with a most resounding thud.

“It’s over,” Washington coach Jay Gruden said.

The end came with just more than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter. Kirk Cousins stepped up in the pocket, threw over the middle and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie moved in front of Pierre Garcon to intercept. He gleefully ran toward midfield. The crowd went silent, and, for all intents and purposes, the season came to a soul-cracking end Sunday at FedEx Field on that play.

New York 19, Washington 10. The Giants scored a touchdown on the final play when they corralled a lateral attempt. They celebrated on the sideline. The Redskins began to process what happened.

“Trying my best to deliver the good part, but there’s no good part,” Redskins defensive lineman Ricky Jean Francois said. “I’ve heard coaches so many times tell me, ’We’re almost there.’ There’s no such thing as that. There’s no such thing as almost there. Now, you’re home in January. Now, [Monday], we have to go inside our building with a six-foot black bag and clean everything out. This team will never be the same.”

The last three weeks turned a zany season even more crazy.

Washington had emerged from a season-opening 0-2 hole to push toward the playoffs with Sunday’s chance to win and get in, unless Green Bay and Detroit tied. Close losses were countered with close wins, though a not-good-enough defense always made the Redskins susceptible to what would come in the final weeks. Washington lost two of three games to close the season. Both were at home. One was against a Carolina Panthers team rallying only around pride. The other against a Giants group that knew Monday morning would be no different than Sunday afternoon no matter the result. They were locked into the No. 5 seed in the playoffs. The weight of the game only hung on the shoulders of the Redskins.

A near-dormant offense did not deliver. The defense was sufficient, though not stifling against a Giants team that began resting starters in the third quarter. New York ran the ball 40 times because it was safe and effective. The only specter chasing the Giants was concern about injury. So, it played conservative, and it was still enough.

“Those guys were doing a good job of controlling the ball, controlling the clock,” Washington left tackle Trent Williams said.

Production for the Redskins waited until the fourth quarter, when the Giants had removed several starters and the pressure on Washington intensified. A flop of a first half and more meandering in the third quarter put the Redskins in a troubling spot. They trailed, 10-3, entering the fourth quarter and needing to beat the Giants to have a chance at the postseason.

Jordan Reed’s touchdown with 8:13 to play was followed by Dustin Hopkins’ all-meaning extra point to tie the game. The Giants countered with a 40-yard field goal from Robbie Gould. New York led, 13-10, with 2:12 to play. Washington went forward with three timeouts, the two-minute warning and fingers crossed.

Cousins’ second interception of the day flattened ambitions.

The eye rolls were silent but the boos were audible when the Redskins ran into the locker room at halftime. The first two quarters of the day were abysmal, which led to Washington trailing, 10-0, by the half.

Coming into the game, the Redskins were third in total offense this season. They gained just 83 yards in the first two quarters Sunday. Much of that came in the final drive, when the Redskins capped the opening misery with a missed 57-yard field goal from Hopkins.

The Giants’ ability to run the ball changed the game in the first two quarters. Rookie Paul Perkins teamed with Rashad Jennings for 82 rushing yards. Jennings’ 2-yard run with 9:20 to play in the second quarter vaulted New York in front 10-0. Gould made a 22-yard field goal in the first quarter for the Giants’ first score.

Two questions loomed coming out of halftime: Would the Giants continue to play their starters with no playoff positioning to gain? Can the Redskins fix their ailments?

The answer to the first question was clear when New York quarterback Eli Manning took the first snap of the third quarter. A long drive that ended with Redskins linebacker Mason Foster knocking down Manning’s pass on fourth-and-2 at the Redskins’ 16 provided a chance to start answering the latter.

Instead, Cousins was on his back on third down yet again. It was the fourth sack of the day for the Giants, an alarming number for a Redskins offensive line that had allowed just 19 sacks in the previous 15 games this season and had not allowed four sacks in a game this year before Sunday.

“They just did their regular blitz package,” Williams said. “Normally, we block that type of look in our sleep.”

Pierre Garcon came loose for a 49-yard gain late in the third quarter. He ran through and past multiple defenders, finally waking the pensive crowd. Washington lined up at the Giants’ 23-yard line a touchdown away from closing the lead. At the least, it was well-positioned for three points.

Instead, Cousins threw his first interception of the day after rookie wide receiver Maurice Harris slipped on FedEx Field’s notorious turf, which was leaning more toward brown than green down the middle and near the sidelines, which is where Harris went down.

The Redskins entered the fourth quarter down 10-3 after a 32-yard field goal by Hopkins. Only 15 minutes remained for them to find a way into the playoffs.

They didn’t.

“We lost too many games just like this,” defensive lineman Chris Baker said. “A play or two away. At the end of the day, the good teams make those plays. The teams who don’t, they’re going to be at home watching the games like us.”