Snaps- Greg Manusky used 18 of his 25 defenders over the course of a season-high 70 snaps on Sunday against the Giants.

Of the seven defenders who did not play, two were inactive (Quinton Dunbar and Kenny Ladler) and five played solely on special teams (Troy Apke, Danny Johnson, Adonis Alexander, Shaun Dion Hamilton and Zach Vigil).

QB Pressure- Washington’s defense was only able to pressure Eli Manning on 37% of his dropbacks, but they recorded a whopping 7 sacks on those plays. The sack total was a season high for both the Giants and the Redskins, who had not registered 7 or more sacks in a game since Week 2 of the 2014 season (10 sacks against the Jaguars). The Redskins have racked up more than 7 sacks in one other game in the last decade (8 sacks against the Raiders in Week 14 of 2009).

Points & Yards- This was the fifth time this season that the defense has held an opponent to 17 or fewer points (all wins). The Redskins and Ravens are the only teams in the NFL who have held five opponents to 17 or less points. The Bears and Seahawks each accomplished this on four occasions.

Washington ranks third in drive scoring percentage allowed (29.9%) and fifth in points allowed per game (19.1).

3rd and 4th Down- The Redskins allowed the Giants to convert on just two of their 14 tries on third down. That gave the Giants a lowly 14% conversion rate on the money down. The 14% clip was the second-best mark the defense has held an opponent to this season (they held the Cardinals to 12.5% in Week 1) and their fourth-best showing in this regard since the start of last season.

The defense’s success on third down probably had a lot to do with Giants needing to gain an average of 10.5 yards on those plays, which says a lot about how well the defense did on first and second down.

Unfortunately, fourth down was a different story. After doing all that work on third down, the defense allowed NY to convert on 3-of-4 fourth-down attempts (75%). All three conversions came on the Giants’ lone touchdown drive with under three minutes to go in the game. The only reason they weren’t able to pick up the fourth one was because Engram dropped a pass.

Red Zone- The defense was able to hold New York to a single touchdown on their three trips to the red zone. And like with the fourth-down conversions, the Giants’ lone RZ touchdown was scored in the waning moments of the game (21 seconds to go).

The defense’s first red-zone stand ended with an interception, which represented the first takeaway in the red zone by Washington this season.

Takeaways- The Skins scored a pair of takeaways and won the turnover battle by a margin of 2 to 1. The team’s plus-7 TO margin is tied for third in the league right now.

The eight teams with a turnover margin of plus-5 or better have a combined winning percentage of .686, while the seven teams with a negative-5 margin or worse have only posted a .296 win rate.

This may seem kind of obvious, but I think it’s worth pointing out just how critical it is to win the turnover battle. For example, the only time Washington had a negative TO margin this season was in the Week 5 game against the Saints (-1), and they lost that game by 24 points.

Tight End Defense- New York tight ends Evan Engram and Rhett Ellison received a combined 10 targets, but caught just 5 passes of those passes for 25 yards and a touchdown.

The Redskins have not allowed any of the seven tight end corps they’ve faced this season to gain over 54 total yards and they are only giving up an average of 44 yards per game to the position. Last season seven different tight ends had at least 59 receiving yards against the Skins and tight end groups averaged 61 yards per game against the team.

Washington has allowed 309 yards to the position in 2018, which ranks 10th in the league; the 970 yards given up to tight ends in 2017 ranked 29th.

Rushing Defense (Individual)- The Redskins held the second overall pick in this year’s draft, Saquon Barkley, to 38 rushing yards, a 2.92 average and a single first down on the ground. Barkley only rushed for fewer yards and posted a lower average in one other game this season (Week 2 at Dallas) and his lone first down was a new season low.

The defense has now held the following players to either their lowest or second-lowest rushing yardage outputs of the 2018 season: David Johnson (2nd-lowest), Alvin Kamara (lowest), Christian McCaffrey (lowest), Ezekiel Elliot (lowest) and Saquon Barkley (2nd-lowest). Those five players have combined to rush for the following line against the Redskins: 51 carries, 152 yards, 30.4 yards per game, 3.98 yards per carry, 1 touchdown, 7 first downs and a 13.7% first-down rate.

This list includes the 2017 rookie of the year and either the first or second running back selected in each of the last three drafts. No individual player has gained more than 61 rushing yards against the Redskins this season.

Rushing Defense (Team)- The Giants were only able to muster 37 rushing yards on Sunday. This was the fifth time this season and the fourth time in the last four weeks that the Redskins have held their opponent to under 100 yards on the ground (64-yard average in the last 3 games).

Washington is one of two teams that has not given up a run of 20 or more yards (Vikings) and they are the only team that has not allowed a single a opponent to rush for more than 104 yards against them.

They rank eighth in rushing first downs allowed (41), sixth in yards per carry allowed (3.84) and second in rushing yards allowed per game (80.1).

Just how did the Redskins defense get so good against the run, you ask? They built a wall and they made Alabama pay for it...or something like that.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN

Jonathan Allen- Jonathan Allen was on the field for just 69% of the defensive snaps against the Giants, which was his lowest snap share since Week 1 (53%). This was also the first time since Week 1 that he didn’t lead all Washington D-linemen in snaps.

Allen certainly didn’t stuff the stat sheet in this one, but he did make his presence known on several plays. The 2017 first-round pick teamed up with his PIC, Daron Payne, to stop Saquon Barkley for no gain on his first tackle of the game. Allen’s next takedown came on the first play of the second half, when he and Mason Foster tackled Barkley 4 yards shy of the line to gain.

He saved his best for last, by sacking Eli Manning for a 9-yard loss late in the fourth quarter. That play gave him sacks in back-to-back games for the first time in his career. His 4 sacks this season rank fifth among all interior defenders.

Daron Payne- Payne had another solid performance on the interior of the Redskins’ defensive line. He led all Skins’ linemen in defensive snaps for the second time this year, recorded 3 solo tackles (4 total), tied a season high with 3 defensive stops, registered a hurry and got a sack for the third time in his young career. The sack was one of his three tackles that were made either within a yard of or behind the line of scrimmage.

The Redskins are the only team in the NFL that have three interior defenders who have recorded three or more sacks this season.

Daron Payne leads all rookie interior defenders in the following statistics: snaps (337), total tackles (25), stops (16) and sacks (3). Fellow Bama D-lineman Da’Shawn Hand is the only rookie ID with more pressures this season (17 to Payne’s 13), and Nathan Shepard is the only player who meets this criteria and has more QB hits (3 to Payne’s 2).

Matt Ioannidis- This was the most productive game of Matt Ioannidis’ career.

The first step for Ioannidis was to get on the field more often, and he did just that by setting new season highs in snaps played (49) and snap percentage (70%). He made the absolute most of the opportunity by setting new personal and 2018 team records with 2.5 sacks in the game.

The Ion Man also scored a hit and a hurry on two other dropbacks, to bring his pressure count on the day to five, which is tied for his most QB disruptions this season (vs. Packers). In all, he hit or sacked Eli Manning a total of four times in the game; no other player on the roster has combined to hit and/or sack the opposing QB on more plays in a single game this year.

Matty I is now up to 5.5 sacks on the year, which is a total that is more than the number of career sacks he had recorded coming into 2018 (4.5) and ranks first on the team through 8 weeks of the season. Aaron Donald (10) and Geno Atkins (6), who have been selected as first-team All-Pros a combined five times, are the only interior defenders with more sacks than Ioannidis in 2018, and they both have played in one more game than he has.

Finally, it is also worth noting that Ioannidis achieved new career bests in solo tackles (4), total tackles (5), TFLs (2) and defensive stops (3) in Sunday’s game against the Giants.

Tim Settle- Settle got some run on Greg Manusky’s defense for the second straight week. He played 4 defensive snaps against the Giants, which brings his 2018 total to 27. He hasn’t dented the box score yet this year and his only pressure (a hurry) came in Week 1, when he played on a season-high 15% of the snaps.

Caleb Brantley- In his second game on the gameday roster, Brantley made his first appearance on the defensive side of the ball for the Redskins. He did not record a stat on his 3 defensive snaps.

OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS

Ryan Kerrigan- Kerrigan set new season highs in both snaps (58) and snap percentage (82.9%).

The NFL’s version of the Heartbreak Kid recorded 1.5 sacks in the game and has racked up 4.5 sacks in the last four games, after not registering a single sack or hit in the Redskins’ first three contests this season.

RyKer pressured Eli Manning a whopping NINE TIMES (insert Ed Rooney voice from Ferris Bueller) in Sunday’s game, which is a Week 8 high for all NFL players (tied with Brandon Graham), a season high for Kerrigan and is tied for his third most pressures in a single game since entering the league in 2011.

Kerrigan ranks fourth in the NFL in both sacks (4.5) and pressures (22) since Week 5.

He made two other tackles in the game (4 total) and gave up 2 receptions for a combined 29 yards. The 24-yard chain mover he gave up to Saquon Barkley was the third-longest play for the New York offense.

Preston Smith- Preston Smith was on the field for 86% of the defensive snaps (60 snaps), which was his second-highest snap rate of the year.

Smith could’ve easily been credited with his first sack of the season, and was by PFF, but the NFL decided to give it to Ryan Kerrigan and Matt Ioannidis instead. He did, however, notch a total of 5 pressures, which was tied for second on the team. The contract-year edge rusher has registered at least 4 pressures in each of his last three games (16 total in that span).

Two of his three tackles against the Giants came within a yard of the LOS, with one of those knocking the G-Men back for a loss of a yard. Smith also recorded a PD for the second straight week.

Pernell McPhee- McPhee only registered one pressure on his 12 pass-rushing snaps, but that pressure was of the QB hit variety. This was the first time he was able to score a hit on the opposing QB since notching a pair of hits in both Weeks 1 and 2. McPhee is tied with Jonathan Allen for the most hits on the team this year (5).

His solo tackle on a first-down Saquon Barkley run was just his third total takedown of the season.

The veteran edge rusher dropped back in coverage once in the game and for just the fourth time in 2018, and needless to say, it did not work out well for him. He gave up a 32-yard reception to Barkley on that snap, which was the Giants’ second-longest offensive play of the game.

Pernell McPhee’s 48.6 PFF grade for the game ranked dead last on the Washington defense and was his third-lowest rating since Week 16 of the 2016 season, when McPhee’s Bears hosted the Redskins on Christmas Eve.

Ryan Anderson- Ryan Anderson’s knee strain limited him to just 6 snaps and an 8.6% snap rate, which were both the second-lowest totals of his career.

Despite his extremely limited playing time, Anderson was still able to make an assisted tackle that stopped Saquon Barkley for no gain and to pressure Manning on one of his three pass-rushing snaps.

INSIDE LINEBACKERS

Mason Foster- Mason Foster turned in yet another solid stellar performance as a tackler. He led the team in solo tackles (9), assisted tackles (4), total tackles (13) and defensive stops (7).

All of those figures, with the exception of the assisted tackles, were new season highs for Foster and the highest totals in a game by any Redskins player in 2018. His solo tackle, assisted tackle and stop numbers for the game were tied for the fifth, third and first best marks in his entire career.

This the fourth game in which Foster has made double-digit tackles, which ties him for the most such games in the league this season with Kiko Alonso, Fred Warner, Darius Leonard, Anthony Hitchens and Budda Baker.

Six of his takedowns were made behind or within a yard of the line of scrimmage. Foster did, however, miss a tackle for the second time this year.

As usual, Mase was nowhere near as good in coverage. He allowed Giants’ backs and receivers to catch 5-of-6 passes thrown in his coverage for 33 yards and a first down. The target, reception and yardage numbers were all either the most or the second most allowed by Foster this year.

Foster’s 81.6 PFF grade ranked second on the team. This was the second straight week that the eight-year vet has posted a rating of 80.0 or more and had one of the three best showings on the team according to Pro Football Focus.

Zach Brown- After seeing the field for a season-low 53% of the snaps in Week 7, Zach Brown saw that his PT rate climbed only marginally to 61%, his second-lowest snap rate of the year.

Brown’s 3 solo and 6 total tackles were tied for the lowest and second lowest takedown totals he’s recorded so far in 2018. None of his tackles were made within 3 yards of the line of scrimmage but two of them were counted as defensive stops, nonetheless.

ZB only allowed one catch for an 11-yard first down on his 3 targets against and 27 coverage snaps. He also scored his first pass defense of the season on a pass thrown to Bennie Fowler. Brown has recorded 3 PDs and has yet to pick off a pass in his 20 games with the Redskins.

His 80.1 PFF grade against the Giants ranked third on the team. Bobby Wagner is the only off-ball linebacker who has a better season-long grade than Brown (88.1 to 86.5).

Josh Harvey-Clemons- The 2017 seventh-rounder was on the field for over 35% of the defensive snaps for the second time in his career and in as many weeks.

He was targeted five times on his 24 coverage snaps and gave up 5 receptions, 24 yards and a first down on those plays. The target, reception and yardage totals all represented new career worsts for Harvey-Clemons. I’m not entirely sure if that last statement is a bad thing or a good thing, but I think I’ll lean towards the latter.

Two of JHC’s 3 solo tackles in the game were made after receptions he allowed. He made his other tackle when he recorded the first full sack of his career on a Giants’ third-down play. He has registered 3 pressures on just 12 pass-rushing snaps this season.

The sack was not enough to prevent Harvey-Clemons from being tagged with a 53.6 Pro Football Focus rating, which was the second-worst grade on the defense in Week 8.

Zach Vigil- Vigil only played on special teams for the fifth straight game.

Shaun Dion Hamilton- Shaun Dion Hamilton has played in all seven of the Redskins’ games this season, but he has yet to take a snap with the defense. His 121 ST snaps rank fifth on the team.

CORNERBACKS

Josh Norman- Josh Norman played on every snap and only allowed 3 receptions for 26 yards and a single first down on his 56 snaps and 6 targets in coverage. He also defended a short pass that fell incomplete at the Redskins’ 17-yard line.

Norman got his hands on another Manning pass, but was not credited with a PD on the play. This was probably because there were no Giants’ receivers in the area. Norman, of course, dropped what should have been an easy interception on the play. Perhaps, he should’ve been awarded a PD for defending the pass against himself.

He only recorded one solo tackle, but made up for it by chipping in with 3 assists (4 total tackles). He earned a pair of stops by teaming up with Mason Foster to tackle Odell Beckham 2 yards behind the line of scrimmage and tackling Saquon Barkley 11 yards shy of the sticks on a New York third down.

Norman had a rough couple of games against the Packers and Saints, but he seems to have turned a corner since then. In the matchups with Green Bay and New Orleans, he gave up a combined 164 yards and 3 touchdowns, while not recording a single interception, pass defense or forced fumble. His combined PFF grade for those two contests was a 47.9.

In his last three games, J-No has not allowed a touchdown, only surrendered an average of 44 receiving yards per game in his coverage, picked off a pass, recorded a pass breakup, forced two fumbles and earned a 78.9 rating from Pro Football Focus.

Norman vs. Beckham: Part IV- Beckham started the game by predictably racking up yardage against defenders not named Josh Norman (4 receptions and 80 yards in the first half); so, for the first time in a long time, the Redskins called on Josh Norman to shadow a wide receiver.

In fact, this was the first time Norman was used in shadow since Week 17 of the 2016 season, when the Redskins just so happened to be playing these same New York Giants. Norman typically never moves from his left cornerback position, but in this game he played 29 snaps at right corner; he only took a combined 17 snaps at right corner between the aforementioned 2016 contest and Sunday’s game.

Beckham was targeted twice against Norman, but J-No won the day by not allowing Beckham to catch either pass and defending one of them. This was the first time, in their four career matchups, that Norman ever shutout OBJ.

Here are the up-to-date career receiving numbers for Beckham when he has been covered by Norman: 21 targets, 12 receptions, 146 yards, 9 first downs, 1 touchdown and 3 passes defended.

The Redskins should strongly consider using Norman to shadow top receivers more often. The idea of Norman constantly facing off against elite receivers is honestly a bit scary to me, but I’d much rather have him covering those types of players than I would Greg Stroman.

Greg Stroman- The rookie seventh-rounder easily set new personal marks in both defensive snaps played (68) and snap percentage (97.1%).

And believe it or not (sarcasm font), he also set or matched season highs in allowed targets (8), receptions (4), first downs (3) and receiving yards (78). The target, first down and yardage figures were all the most or tied for the most allowed by any player on the team in Sunday’s game.

Of the 78 yards he gave up, 44 of them came on an Odell Beckham reception that was the Giants’ longest play of the game. Stroman was flagged for pass interference on the play, as well.

On the bright side, he did lead the team with two non-interception pass defenses, with one of those coming on a deep pass to Sterling Shepard. Those were his first PDs as a pro. Stroman set new career highs in total tackles (6), stops (2) and PFF rating (75.5).

Fabian Moreau- After playing on a career high 88% of the defensive snaps last week against the Cowboys, Fabian Moreau saw his playing time drop to a 77% clip against the Giants.

New York utilized 3-wide receiver sets on roughly 75% of their offensive snaps, and the Redskins virtually only use Moreau in nickel packages, so that is essentially how his snap percentage was determined. Approximately 90% of his 2018 snaps have come in the slot.

The former third-round pick allowed all four of the targets thrown his way to be caught for a total of 39 yards and 3 first downs. Moreau was also flagged for defensive pass interference against Sterling Shepard in the red zone. This was the fifth penalty he’s committed this year, which is tied with Trent Williams for the most on the team.

Moreau made the tackle after each of the first-down catches he surrendered in his coverage. This was the third time this season that he tied his career highs in solo (3), assisted (2) and total tackles (5) in the same game. He did miss his first tackle of the season in this past Sunday’s contest, though.

Adonis Alexander- Alexander played for the second time this year, but remained in a special-teams only role. He has not recorded any statistics on his 27 specials snaps.

Danny Johnson- The diminutive rookie UDFA did not see any action on defense after making his first appearance, albeit a brief one, with the Washington D last week against the Cowboys. Johnson was also not used as a kick returner for the second time in as many weeks.

Quinton Dunbar- Quinton Dunbar sat out for the second straight week because of nerve damage in his hamstring. He is the only Redskins starter that has missed a game all year. He hopes to be able to suit up for the Week 9 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons’ dangerous passing attack.

SAFETIES

D.J. Swearinger- D.J. Swearinger once again proved that he is playing at a higher level than any safety in the NFL this season.

Swearinger did give up 44 receiving yards and his first touchdown of the season (Evan Engram), while also allowing team highs in targets (8), receptions (6) and first downs (3), but he more than made up for it with several game-changing plays.

The South Carolina product picked off Eli Manning in the red zone, intercepted a deep-passing attempt and defended a third-down pass at the goal line on another red-zone possession. If Swearinger doesn’t make any of those plays, then the final outcome of this game could’ve easily been very different.

This was the second time this year and the third time in his career and as a member of the Redskins that Swearinger has intercepted two passes in a game. His 4 interceptions this season ties the career high he set in 2017 and leads the entire NFL this season. His 7 total pass defenses rank third among all safeties this year. No safety has racked up more PDs since 2016 (25) than Swearinger has.

Let’s also not forget that Swearinger has recorded a sack, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble this season. He is one of just ten players who have done all those things and intercepted a pass in 2018.

He led the team with an 87.0 PFF grade against the Giants, a rating which ranked fourth among all safeties in Week 8. His 90.9 grade on the year ranks first at the position this season and fourth among all defensive players in the NFL. Defensive linemen Aaron Donald (95.6), Fletcher Cox (92.4) and Akiem Hicks (91.6) are the only defenders in the league with higher season-long grades.

D.J. Swearinger hasn’t been just one of the best players on the Redskins or at the safety position this year, he’s been one of the very best players in the whole league.

Montae Nicholson- Nicholson played on 100% of the defensive snaps for the sixth time this season.

For the first time this year, he was not officially targeted and did not give up at least one reception. The second-year safety did, however, commit a costly 46-yard pass interference penalty against Saquon Barkley that moved the New York offense from their own 14 to the Washington 40-yard line. This was the Giants’ longest gain of the day and the second longest gain of the entire game. They finished the drive with a field goal that cut the Redskins’ lead to 7 points.

Besides the penalty, Nicholson didn’t have a bad day. He recorded 4 solo tackles and assisted Preston Smith on a tackle of Wayne Gallman, made a yard behind the line of scrimmage.

His 61.0 PFF rating for the game was his second-highest grade of the season. A 61.0 being your second-best grade of the year is not ideal.

His subpar play this year and the trade-deadline acquisition of our next player will severely limit Nicholson’s playing time for the rest of the season.

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix- The Redskins sent a 4th-round pick to the Packers for veteran safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix right before Tuesday’s 4pm trade deadline.

Ha’Sean Treshon Clinton-Dix (yes, that is his real name) is the fifth Alabama player on the defense and the seventh Bama player on the team (Cam Sims and Arie Kouandjio are on IR). He won two national championships with the Crimson Tide and was a consensus All-American in his final college season.

Ha Ha was picked with the 21st overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft, was selected to the All-Rookie team, made the 2016 Pro Bowl, was named second-team All-Pro that season and has been ranked on the NFL Top 100 list in each of the last two years (#77 and #100).

He is in the final year of his rookie contract and is owed roughly $3M for the remainder of the season.

Like Swearinger, Clinton-Dix has not missed a defensive snap in over a year. He has taken roughly two-thirds of his 2018 snaps at free safety, whereas Swearinger has played less than half of his snaps at that position, so look for Ha Ha to patrol center field in Washington’s defensive backfield for the remainder of the season.

Most importantly, he has played some great football this season. The soon-to-be 26-year-old has given up just one touchdown reception and ranks fifth in receiving yards allowed (57) and seventh in yards per coverage snap (0.27) among all safeties who have played on at least 200 coverage snaps this season. He is one of just six players who have forced a fumble, record a sack and picked off multiple passes in 2018. The others are Harrison Smith, Shawn Williams, Donte Jackson, Eddie Jackson and D.J. Swearinger.

Swearinger is the only safety who has intercepted more passes (4 to 3) and/or has a higher PFF grade than Ha Ha Clinton Dix does (90.9 to 87.7) this year. Swearinger and Clinton-Dix lead all NFL safeties with 11 interceptions a piece since 2016. The only player, regardless of position, who has picked off more balls in that span is Marcus Peters (12).

The Redskins now have what is likely the best starting safety duo and the best safety corps from top to bottom in the entire NFL. This addition should significantly improve what was already a top-5 defense.

Deshazor Everett- Everett was in on exactly 2 snaps with the defense for the fourth time this season. Everett was not targeted in the game and he has still yet to crack the stat sheet on defense.

Troy Apke- Troy Apke returned from a hamstring injury that had sidelined him since Week 2. He played on just 6 special teams snaps before re-aggravating his balky hammy.

His rookie season likely ended yesterday, when he was placed on injured reserve. He did not take a single snap with the defense and made one tackle and committed one penalty on his 22 special teams snaps.

Apke, who was the third oldest safety selected in the 2018 draft, will turn 24 before the start of OTAs next Spring.

Kenny Ladler- Ladler was on the inactive list for the first time since being called up from the practice squad in Week 2.

ALL DEFENSIVE PLAYERS

SPECIAL TEAMS

Snaps- Ben Kotwica’s special teams unit was on the field for a season-high 29 snaps in Sunday’s contest. The group of 34 was made up of 20 defenders, 11 offensive players and three specialists. The 20 defenders used on special teams was also a new season high.

Deshazor Everett led the squad in teams snaps yet again. Zach Vigil, who has only been in on three fewer special teams plays than Everett this year, and Jehu Chesson tied Everett for the team lead in specials snaps with 24 each.

Dustin Hopkins- Hopkins hit on field goal tries from 39 and 53 yards out, but missed his second kick of the year on a 41-yard attempt that sailed wide left. He stayed perfect on extra points by going 2-for-2 on PATs.

Hop tied a single-season career high with what was his third field goal from 50-plus yards out. He is one 50-yarder away from tying Chip Lohmiller for the second most field goals from that distance in franchise history.

Four of his five kickoffs in Sunday’s game went for touchbacks. The only KO return of the G-Men was fielded at the 1-yard line and returned 30 yards out to the 31. It was the longest kickoff return allowed by the Redskins this season.

Tress Way- Tress Way’s 5 punts went for 246 total and 228 net yards. His average of 49.2 yards and net average of 45.6 were both season highs. Four of those kicks were returned, but the Giants only gained 18 yards combined on those plays. He pinned the New York offense inside their own 20-yard line on three occasions (at the 7, 10 and 14).

Way on is on pace to pin opponents inside the 20 a career-best 39 times this season; his previous record was 33 such punts (2016).

There are 25 players who have punted 25 or more times this season, and Way is the only one of them who has yet to kick a touchback.

Kick Coverage- Eight different players made tackles on special teams in this game.

Montae Nicholson and Danny Johnson combined to end the Giants’ only kickoff return after a gain of 30 yards. This was Nicholson’s first career special teams tackle. Hopefully, he will be making a lot more plays on this unit, because this is where he will be seeing the most action for the remainder of the season, haha.

Danny Johnson also downed a tackle at the New York 10-yard line.

Kapri Bibbs and Deshazor Everett teamed up to tackle Quadree Henderson on a punt return that lost 3 yards and ended at the New York 14; an illegal blocking penalty on the return pushed the Giants’ offense back another 7 yards.

Zach Vigil and Shaun Dion Hamilton shut down a short return at the 14-yard line (1 yard). Vigil has recorded a specials tackle in each of the last three weeks, while SDH has done so in two of the last three games.

Tress Way got in on the action when he pushed Henderson out of bounds at the New York 37, to end the Giants’ longest punt return of the day (19 yards).

Jehu Chesson seemed to always be the first one down the field, but he missed a game-high three tackles on special teams. His only teams tackle came at the 30-yard line on a return that lost 2 yards.

Mason Foster also whiffed on what should’ve been a special teams tackle.

Kickoff Returns- Greg Stroman and Kapri Bibbs operated as the team’s kickoff return men this week. Bibbs fielded the only official kick return of the day at the 2-yard line and returned it 20 yards out to the 22.

Jehu Chesson recovered the Giants’ onside kick at the end of the game to seal the victory.

The Redskins’ 16.2-yard return average on kickoffs and their long return of 26 yards rank last and second to last in the league.

Punt Returns- Greg Stroman once again passed up opportunities to gain good return yardage. He fair caught the only punt he fielded inbounds at the Washington 14-yard line.

Just five teams have called for a fair catch on their opponent’s punts more than the Redskins have (12). Washington’s 40 total punt return yards this season ranks dead last in the NFL; the league average is 124 yards.

Maybe the Redskins should’ve traded for some better return men, as well.

*All statistics are courtesy of ESPN, NBC Sports, NFL.com, NFL Gamebooks, Pro Football Focus, Pro Football Reference, Redskins.com and The Washington Post*