2022-23 Long Island EFL NFC WILD CARD GAME: Washington Redskins (3-4) vs New York Giants (5-2)

Long island EFL · January 9, 2023

Washington Redskins (3-4) vs. New York Giants (5-2)

NFC WILD CARD GAME JANUARY 8, 2023 AT 6PM

(Long Island, NY. January 9, 2023). We abandoned all of the politics of Washington Commanders vs. Washington Redskins. We like the Redskins, and it will remain the team’s name. It has nothing to do with the views in our country. It has to do with tradition-PERIOD! We have to apologize to anyone who enjoys reading about our games. Believe us the writing is just a labor of love by various guys in the league. We wrote an entire write-up on the Chiefs game yesterday and it all just disappeared. It was so frustrating. That was one of the best game's of the year with the Chiefs defeating the Titans 37-31 in overtime to win the AFC Wild Card Game advancing Kansas City to the AFC Divisional Championship Game between the winner of Buffalo and New England.

This game between the New York Giants (5-2) and the Washington Redskins (3-4) is always one of the most exciting games in our league for obvious reasons, the division rivalry, which is just as prevalent in electric football. There are several All-Pro's, voted on by the coaches playing in this exciting game. Washington's Mark May at tackle, LaVar Arrington at linebacker, and league favorite, Tony Green at halfback, and for the Giants it's running back Saqoun Barkley, kick returner Ahmad Bradshaw, in our news quite a bit this season, and lineman George Martin. The history between the two teams has been amazing. In 1978 New York took 3rd Place NFC Eastern Division, and in the NFC Wild Card Game the Giants beat Washington 21-10, then they beat Dallas in the NFC Divisional Game 24-17, losing the NFC Championship Game to New Orleans 21-17 that season. New York went through Washington in 1982 and 2016 again, beating them both times.

The Washington Redskins are one of the winningest teams in the LIEFL with 113 wins with 75 losses ranking them #2 all-time in the LIEFL. This is Viggs 10th season that Washington has made the playoffs. Their moment was in 1984 in LIEFL Super Bowl VII against the Miami Dolphins when Washington's John Riggins, just like in real life, ran for 110 yards in that game with three touchdowns!

Washington beat Miami that day 34-31 in overtime! What a game it was! Coach Ed Viggs has played the Giants enough times to know what he needs to do to prepare for this game, don't think for one second that he's not thinking about this game which has his entire focus now. The Redskins made it to the NFC championship game last season, and they know all too well being in this tournament as many times as they have, that anything can happen.

This Redskins team made lots of changes and came from behind this season. They have one of the most explosive running backs in the game in Tony Green. Green was on the LIEFL Pro-Bowl Starter list for the NFC All-Stars, but he is also a force in the division. Green had 252 kick return yards against New York in Week#2, with a hundred-yard touchdown, but he also had 101 yards rushing, earning him LIEFL Player of the Week. Viggs focuses on what Green is capable of rather than the “what-ifs” of the game.

The Redskins also have Charlie Taylor and Art Monk who can step up at any time in addition to Riggins as a short yardage back.

GIANTS-REDSKINS BATTLE TO THE LAST MAN IN NFC WILD CARD GAME!

LIEFL Offensive Player of the Year Ahmad Bradshaw, keeps going, returning this kick return 100 yard's for the touchdown just before the half, leaving the Washington Redskins and Coach Ed Viggs in a predicament. Bradshaw finished with 339 all-purpose yards with this critical return!

KICK OFF!

On the opening kickoff for the New York Giants, the best of the best this season, Ahmad Bradshaw was hit hard at the 43-yard line by John Riggins. LIEFL All-Pro running back Sequon Barkley and the Giants offense line led by All-Pro George Martin took over. Barkley blasted through holes opened for runs of 11, 3, 8, 34, and finally a 3-yard touchdown explosion by Barkley and the Giants front line to strike first with 5:48 left to go in the first quarter, Giants 7 Redskins 0!

This certainly is not like the regular season battles we've seen between these two division rivals. It’s usually an offensive scoring bonanza, but this game has a defensive feel to it. Isn’t it amazing how these plastic figures perform?

The battle in the trenches is intense between the front lines of Washington and New York. It took nine plays for the Redskins to score against this surging Giants defense led by defensive tackle David Diehl and George Martin in the middle. After a 60-yard kick return by Redskins halfback Tony Green, Green came up empty on his first two runs with that Giants defense shutting down the Redskins running attack. On 3rd down in the first set of downs, Viggs hit receiver Art Monk on a beautiful 16-yard pass for a Redskins first down!

The next set of downs Tony Green was stopped again, and on third down John Riggins caught a 29-yard pass that brought the ball to the 11-yard line of the Giants. The Giants defense pushed Washington back to the 28-yard line and on third down Redskins receiver Art Monk again, broke Free again to score a great touchdown across the center of the field at 7:25 remaining in the half to tie the game 7-7!

The ferocious battle in the trenches continued to rage between the Giants and the Redskins, unlike the past two meetings during the regular season, which the Giants won.

On Special teams the defense for Coach Viggs knew that his Redskins had to put a stop to the best offensive player in the LIEFL, Ahmad Bradshaw as Bradshaw ran a 40-yard kick return on the ensuing kickoff. But one play later, the Giants were stopped again by Washington lineman Dave Butts at the Giants 40-yard line. Coach Pizz and his Giants moved players around, but on second down Sequon Barkley exploded on an amazing end-around for a 60 yard touchdown run down the left sideline followed by Ahmad Bradshaw on a spectacular and electrifying run!

The Giants regained the lead 14-7, with the second quarter coming to a close with 2:50 remaining.

The game’s intensity just increased as Tony Green returned the ball 37 yards on the kickoff for Washington. With time running out in the half, on first down Coach Viggs aired it out passing a bomb to Charlie Taylor connecting for 60 yards, bringing the ball to the three-yard line of the Giants! On the very next play John Riggins caught a beautiful pop pass to tie the game 7-7, with 30 seconds left to go in the half. The Giants used their first time out. Viggs is a passing machine!

The Giants needed points before going into the half and boy did they execute. Viggs said he scouted the Giants well, playing them twice and making mental notes of what to watch out for. But no one has been able to stop Ahmad Bradshaw this season.

On an incredible electrifying kick return Coach Viggs set up his speedy runners on the right side of the field thinking Bradshaw was going to naturally turn left to run down the sideline, but instead Bradshaw cut right through the middle of the field following his blockers on a blazing 100-yard touchdown run in an electrifying explosive run to put the Giants up 21-14 at the half! Holy Cow, the room erupted on that play watching this exciting player work his magic! Wow!

Bradshaw has had an incredible season and that play topped them all as the clock ran out of time for the Redskins to end the first half!

The start of the second half is about taking that intermission break of three minutes to revive the game plan, abandon it, or think quickly about how to get back the advantage in the game.

The second half was spent killing the clock and keeping the ball out of the Giants hands. The Redskins devoured the clock using almost 11 minutes up driving down field. Washington’s front line continued the battle of the trenches watching Tony Green run the ball four times, and he was stopped all four times by the Giants wall of defenders, this time led by LIEFL All-Pro George Martin.

The Redskins drove downfield with a 41-yard pass to the 22-yard line until finally Charlie Taylor broke Free after the Redskins were pushed back six yards. Taylor caught a blazing touchdown pass to tie the score at 21-21, with 4:49 left to go in the third quarter! The Redskins will not give in to the Giants.

The Giants set up for the kick return with Bradshaw returning the ball, this time for 42-yards. Viggs was not expecting it, but Bradshaw kept the football on the first run for New York, gaining a 16-yard first down New York with the third quarter coming to a close! On the next two plays All-Pro Saquon Barkley took over with a 21-yard run and a 7-yard run to bring the ball to the Redskins 14-yard line. On second down the Giants front line of Leonard Marshall, George Martin and Michael Strahan gave Barkley what he needed on a stunning 14-yard touchdown run untouched for a touchdown, making the score 28-21 Giants, with 13:17 left to go in the game! Anxiety is building.

Tony Green exploded for his best return of the game, a 62-yard kick return with the fourth quarter running out of time. A frustrated Coach Viggs looked on, obviously thinking it out. The Redskins killed the clock looking for a way to stop the Giants offense, trying to push this game into overtime. Washington lineman Charles Mann opened an amazing hole on the left side of the line for Tony Green to break through with a terrific 38-yard rushing touchdown, his first of the game to even the score 28-28, with just 9:07 left to go in the game

The star of the game, Ahmad Bradshaw returned the ball for 49 yards, and then on first down Bradshaw rushed for 5 yards. On the next play Barkley took over and ran 21-yards for the first down. Then Barkley was stopped twice as the two-minute warning sounded off with the Giants at the Redskins 30-yard line on 3rd down. What a game! On third down, Coach Pizz stepped up and connected with Odell Beckham Jr., who broke free at the 30-yard line on 3rd down for the Giants, with Beckham Jr., making a beautiful catch over the middle for the touchdown to put the Giants ahead 35-28 with just 1:40 left to go in the game! The Redskins were forced to call a timeout.

The Redskins played hurry-up offense with Tony Green returning a 43-yard kick, but they had to call their final timeout in the process to setup their pass play properly.

On the next play Viggs hit Art Monk again, this time for a 57-yard touchdown play to tie the game at 35-35, and boy what a game it's been with 1:04 remaining in the game! The Giants have both of their timeouts remaining and they'll have one more go at winning this NFC Wild Card Game.

The Giants got off their first play which was a 13-yard pass, first down to Ahmad Bradshaw! On a very next play coach Pizz threw a beautiful pass, but a dangerous pass, to Barkley who took it 16 yards to the Redskins 40. With no timeouts remaining and the clock winding down at 16 seconds left in the game, the New York Giants kicked the game winning field goal 40-yards!

Giants 38 Redskins 35!

What a game! All Coach Viggs could do was look at the scoreboard in frustration. The New York Giants (6-2) will play the winner of Minnesota Vikings (3-4) and Carolina Panthers (5-3).

The two guys who have carried this team for the Giants the entire season have been Sequon Barkley who rushed for 168 yards on 14 carries, with two touchdowns, and Ahmad Bradshaw who touched the ball nine times for 339 all-purpose yards, with an electrifying 100-yard kick return for a touchdown! The Giants totaled 25 touches for 548 total yards with five touchdowns!

Washington totaled 26 touches for 540 all-purpose yards with five touchdowns for Coach Viggs whose Redskins are now eliminated. Viggs said, "That was a great game. I thought I could beat the clock, but it didn't happen. Good luck to the Giants. Losing three times to them this season shows the class organization Coach Pizz has created. Maybe I will see them again with Green Bay." Coach Pizz said, "That was a terrific game and beating Coach Viggs is always a great feeling because we know who he is in electric football. The Giants looked great today. I would have liked a little more on special teams out of Bradshaw, but Viggs did a great job coaching the Skins."

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