Wide receiver Terry McLaurin, running back Antonio Gibson, safety Bobby McCain and kicker Joey Slye helped lead Washington to a 22-7 win over the New York Giants in the team's season finale. Here's how they played on Sunday afternoon.
Game Ball No. 1: Terry McLaurin
It didn't take long for Washington's top wide receiver to make history. All McLaurin needed was two catches, one of which went for 30 yards that helped set Washington up for a field goal, to surpass 1,000 yards. He finished the game with a team-leading 93 yards, giving him 1,053 for the year.
It's an impressive feat for Mclaurin, who has only been in the league for three seasons. He has 3,090 yards in that span, including 27 games where he posted at least 60 yards, and for the first time in his career, he played a full season. His performance in Week 18 pushed Washington to 3-1 this season when he finished at least 90 yards.
But the back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons means more than that; it's the first time a Washington player has accomplished it since Henry Ellard in the 1994-96 seasons. McLaurin has been the embodiment of consistency since he joined the league in 2019, and he can add more more accolade to his already impressive time in Washington.
Game Ball No. 2: Antonio Gibson
Speaking of a 1,000 yard milestone...
With just under 9:30 left to go in the fourth quarter, Gibson cut between a linebacker and an unblocked defensive end on the backside to pick up 17 yards and earn his very first 1,000 yard rushing season as a pro. Gibson is the first Washington player to rush for 1,000 yards since Adrian Peterson did so in 2018. That achievement means that Washington has a 1,000-yard receiver and a 1,000-yard rusher in the same season for the first time since 2014.
Rushing was the name of the game for the Washington offense in its win today. The team finished with 226 rushing yards -- a season high -- and Gibson was responsible for 146 of those. To cap off a commanding performance, the running back also scored his ninth touchdown of the season.
Game Ball No. 3: Bobby McCain
Washington's seventh win of the season was also a game to remember for seventh-year safety McCain. With 3:48 remaining in the third quarter, McCain intercepted a Jake Fromm pass intended for Evan Engram and ran 30 yards to the end zone to extend Washington's lead to 12-0. The pick was McCain's third interception of the season (a career high) and the first pick-six of his career.
And when Washington had the game essentially locked up, McCain grabbed his second interception of the game and fourth of the season. With under 10 seconds to go in the fourth quarter, McCain comfortably interception another pass from Jake Fromm as time expired. After a solid day from the defense, it was the ideal way to close out the afternoon.
Game Ball No. 4: Joey Slye
Since getting signed by Washington midway through the season, Slye has stepped up confidently and convincingly when called upon. Today at MetLife Stadium was no different. Slye knocked down all three of Washington's field goal attempts in the 22-7 win.
With three more made FGAs under his belt today, that means Slye finishes the season 12-for-12 with Washington. Zooming in on that stat a bit more, he is also 3-for-3 on field goal attempts of 40+ yards.
