Postgame analysis: Redskins 17, Giants 16

The Redskins, once left for dead, find themselves in an unusual position in December: in the thick of the playoff race. They won their third straight game -- all against NFC East rivals -- on Monday night, beating the Giants 17-16 at FedEx Field in Landover, Md.

It continues an amazing turnaround for a team once thought out of the race at 3-6 following an ugly home loss to Carolina. They won another game because QB Robert Griffin III rushed for 72 yards on five runs and threw for 163 yards and a touchdown. They keep winning because running back Alfred Morris is tough to stop -- he gained 124 yards on 22 carries Monday.

The Redskins’ defense even pitched in -- finally -- with a strong second-half effort. New York gained 273 yards in the first half, but only 117 in the second half. Washington sent more five-man rushes and played more man coverage in the second half to disrupt QB Eli Manning and the Giants’ offense.

Washington is 6-6 and only one game behind first-place New York (7-5) in the NFC East. The Redskins are one game behind Seattle for the sixth and final NFC wild-card spot. Their confidence continues to surge and with playmakers on offense such as Griffin and WR Pierre Garcon, the defense knows it can give up yards as long as the points don’t follow. That was their method Monday as New York settled for three field goals.

When the game turned: The Giants were controlling the game and had a first-and-10 at the Redskins’ 17-yard line late in the third quarter. But the Redskins defense forced a field goal for a 16-10 lead. On Washington’s next possession, the Redskins drove 86 yards for a touchdown. The Giants did not cross their own 43 from that point forward.

Highlight moments: Washington’s first touchdown came off a fumble that Griffin lost just before hitting the ground. The ball bounced up and over to Josh Morgan, who was the pitch man on the option. He traveled the final 13 yards on the play for a 28-yard score. … Griffin ran 46 yards around left end on a QB keeper after a zone read fake. … Manning and WR Victor Cruz connected on a 49-yard bomb that set up a field goal.

Top-shelf performances:

Redskins RB Alfred Morris -- 22 carries, 124 yards, but one fumble
Redskins QB Robert Griffin III -- 13 for 21 for 163 yards passing; five carries, 72 yards rushing
Redskins WR Pierre Garcon -- eight catches, 106 yards, one touchdown
Redskins LB Rob Jackson -- one sack, one tackle for a loss, one QB hurry
Giants RB Ahmad Bradshaw -- 24 carries, 103 yards
Giants WR Victor Cruz -- five catches, 104 yards

What they said about the Redskins win:

Redskins RB Alfred Morris -- “It means a lot. You can just feel the atmosphere in this locker room. Our playoff hopes are still alive…. We really needed that.”
Redskins coach Mike Shanahan -- “We’ve lost a number of games in the fourth quarter, games that we had a chance to put away and didn’t do it. We put this game away.”
Redskins NT Barry Cofield -- “This is one of my favorite wins ever.”

What they said about the Griffin's play:

Shanahan (deadpanned) -- “Except for the one incompletion, he was OK.”

What they said about the Giants’ offense:

Giants RB Ahmad Bradshaw -- “They came out real disciplined in the second half. We couldn’t get it going.”
Giants coach Tom Coughlin -- "I don’t know what happened in the second half. We certainly didn’t come out to play. Penalties. Sloppy football. It seems like every time we had a special teams play we had a penalty. … Just very disappointing that our second half wasn’t better."

Numbers you should know: Redskins RB Alfred Morris set a franchise record for most rushing yards by a rookie with 1,106. … The Redskins averaged 6.7 yards per rush and finished with 207 yards for the night. ... Giants QB Eli Manning finished with a 98 passer rating, his best against Washington since 2009.

Injury update: Giants -- RT Sean Locklear injured his knee in the fourth quarter and did not return. He’ll be re-evaluated, but his teammates were telling reporters after the game that it did not look good. ... S Tyler Sash left the game with a hamstring injury. He’ll be re-evaluated.

Going forward: Redskins -- They host Baltimore on Sunday in their last game vs. a team currently with a winning record. They travel to Cleveland and Philadelphia before the regular season finale vs. Dallas. A 9-7 mark might be good enough to get them to the postseason and that’s a real possibility given the schedule. Giants -- They are in a tough spot, hosting New Orleans on Sunday before road games at Atlanta and Baltimore. They close the season with a home game vs. Philadelphia. They might need to split the road games to maintain their first place standing.

John Keim covers the Redskins for the Washington Examiner. Follow him on Twitter @CBSRedskins or @John_Keim.