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Game Balls: 3 Standout Players in Washington's 20-19 Loss To The Giants

Washington Football Team's Logan Thomas (82) during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Washington Football Team's Logan Thomas (82) during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Despite the close 20-19 defeat, Logan Thomas, Kendall Fuller and Cole Holcomb were all crucial players for the Washington Football Team on Sunday. Here's how they performed against the Giants:

Game Ball No. 1: Tight End Logan Thomas

Thomas was one of the offensive standouts for Washington during its matchup against the New York Giants. The tight end finished the day with three receptions for 42 yards and one touchdown.

With 17 seconds left in the half, Washington was trailing New York, 13-3. At the Giants five-yard line, quarterback Kyle Allen lofted the ball into the left corner of the end zone, where Thomas was able to grab the ball and barely keep his feet in bounds for a touchdown.

This scoring drive cut Washington's deficit to three points and boosted its morale heading into halftime.

"I tried to keep my feet down and make a play on the ball," Thomas, who recorded his second touchdown of the season, said after the game. "Kyle put up a good [pass]."

Game Ball No. 2: Defensive Back Kendall Fuller

Fuller has been one of the defense's biggest standouts since returning from injury in Week 3, and he continued that progress Sunday as he managed to stay in bounds and record his fourth interception in three games. Fuller now leads the NFL in interceptions.

Washington was still trailing by three points late in the third quarter. The Giants had marched 73 yards on 14 plays and moved their way to Washington's seven-yard line. Jones' pass to Darius Slayton looked like it was going to fall incomplete, but Fuller was able to make a diving catch to intercept the ball for a touchback.

On the previous play, Fuller was called for pass interference that kept the drive alive. He was initially unhappy with the play, but the pick almost immediately replaced that frustration.

"Looking back on it, I'm glad [the referee] called it," Fuller said. "I thought it was iffy on whether they would call it in bounds or say that I rolled out. I remember Golden Tate coming up and asking me, and I said, 'Let me just pray to God real quick,' and he came through."

Game Ball No. 3: Linebacker Cole Holcomb

Defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and head coach Ron Rivera were expecting Holcomb to make his return after missing the past four weeks with a knee injury. As someone who recorded 105 tackles in his rookie season, Holcomb was a welcome presence to the linebacker rotation, as he had a team-high six tackles during Sunday's game.

With less than six minutes left in the first quarter, New York's offense ran double reverse involving Darius Slayton and Evan Engram, but that didn't fool Holcomb, who recognized the play and took down Slayton at Washington's 16-yard line for a three-yard loss.

Later in the first half, Holcomb took down Jones two yards short of the goal line, which forced the Giants to settle for a 20-yard field goal.

"Cole is getting healthy. Hopefully, we'll get Cole involved," Del Rio said Wednesday. "I think Cole's got a chance to be a good player for us. He got banged up in Week 1 and we haven't seen him since. Hopefully we get him back. We're just looking for production from our linebackers and understanding where they are in the scheme of our defense. We're looking for guys to make plays."

Check out photos of the Washington Football Team during its Week 6 matchup against the New York Giants. (Photos courtesy of Josh Lobel/NFL, Courtney Rivera/Washington Football Team and John Minchillo/AP)

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