Giants rocked by Redskins

giants_2692917 — Brandon Jacobs is stopped in his tracks as the Giants come a cropper at home

The New York Giants saw their play-off ambitions suffer a serious blow as they were beaten 23-10 by the Washington Redskins.

The Giants needed a win at home to keep pace with the Dallas Cowboys, who triumphed at Tampa Bay on Saturday night, at the top of the NFC East.

Washington arrived in the Big Apple having lost eight of their previous nine games but completed the double over their divisional rivals this season, dominating on both sides of the ball throughout.

They held a 17-3 lead at half time thanks to several key third-down conversions, while their defense managed three interceptions of Eli Manning.

Crucial completions

Quarterback Rex Grossman, who was picked off on the first offensive play of the game, managed a crucial 19-yard completion to Donte Stallworth to set up a 36-yard field by Graham Gano for a 3-0 first-quarter lead.

The Redskins then went 10-0 ahead when Grossman hooked up with Santana Moss on a 20-yard score on a third down.

A third-and-14 completion set up Darrel Young for another touchdown for the visitors, the full-back rumbling in from close range on the ground to leave the Giants with a mountain to climb.

The home team did get on the scoreboard with a 40-yard field goal from Lawrence Tynes in the closing seconds of the opening half, raising hopes of a comeback after the break.

Instead, though, their offense continued to be poor, Manning struggling with turnovers while his receivers did not help him with some key drops, Hakeem Nicks the most guilty as he let a certain touchdown slip from his grasp.

Another potential scoring drive fell flat when Josh Wilson picked off a pass intended for Mario Manningham in the left corner of the end zone.

When Gano slotted over his second field goal of the game to establish a 20-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter, the Giants knew they were beaten.

Ahmad Bradshaw did score on a three-yard run with 33 seconds to play, though it was no more than a consolation for the home team. They can, however, still win their division if they defeat the New York Jets and the Cowboys in the final two weeks of the regular season.