The Washington Redskins treated their fans to a fantastic Christmas Eve by continuing their remarkable reversal of fortune with a well-fought win over the NFC East leading New York Giants, 35-20. The game’s completion ended what had been a remarkable week for Washington that began with a beatdown of the hated Cowboys and continued as every team that needed to lose to put the Redskins into playoff position did so en masse. It was everything the team could have wanted, save for one matter – a measure of revenge over the team that humiliated them to the tune of 36 to nada.

The road to vindication began on the defensive side of the ball, as the Redskins, over the course of the game, meticulously defanged the Giants offense. Tiki Barber, who rang up a couple hundred yards on the Skins the first time out, was kept in check this time out, kept out of the end zone and held to 80 yards rushing. A key difference in the game was measured by how committed each team was to running the ball. Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts didn’t finish the game with an exciting average yards per carry figure, but Coach Joe Gibbs decision to keep at the running game allowed Portis and Betts to grow stronger as the game went on. On the other side, Giants Coach Tom Coughlin, despite having a Pro-Bowler in the backfield – who ended the game with a respectable 5 yards per carry average – handed the ball to Tiki just sixteen times.

The defense made plenty of key plays, including a timely Lemar Marshall interception and a blocked field goal attempt that ended the Giants’ most promising second-half drive. But the running game was a huge difference late in the contest, as the Giants continually lined up to pass the ball in short-yardage situations instead of playing the percentages and giving the ball to a running back. For all his vaunted discipline, Coughlin’s failure to stay faithful to running the ball made it easier for Washington to keep the Giants offense at bay and prevent a late comeback.