Giants Put Clamps on Redskins

For the New York Giants, it was a matter of style.

After losing consecutive shoot-outs to Dallas and Cincinnati, the Giants shut down the more conservative Washington Redskins, 17-3, Sunday.

“It was good to have a team to run at us,” Giant nose tackle Jim Burt said. “We got to hit (John) Riggins early, those hits get a defense going.”

New York (4-3) intercepted three passes, sacked Joe Theismann seven times and shut down the NFL’s top rushing attack.

Riggins was held to 35 yards on 11 carries and the Redskins (3-4) managed 69 rushing yards.

“We took the blockers from Riggins and (George) Rogers,” Giant linebacker Harry Carson said. “Me and (Gary) Reasons go into the line and hold them up. Riggins still has the ball but he doesn’t have the blocking.”

Herb Welch, Terry Kinard and Perry Williams each intercepted a pass deep in Giants’ territory to further frustrate Theismann and the Redskins.

The Redskins scored on Mark Moseley’s 47-yard field goal with 4:30 left.

“I felt like we moved the football fairly well, but we just couldn’t put it in the end zone,” Theismann said. “We’re just not functioning and operating once we get down near the other team’s end zone.”

New York’s Phil Simms hit Mark Bavaro for a 29-yard second-quarter touchdown. George Adams added a two-yard scoring run in the third quarter and rookie Jess Atkinson kicked a 47-yard fourth-quarter field goal.

Simms completed 17 of 26 passes for 196 yards. Gary Clark caught 11 passes for 193 yards. Theismann was 22 of 38 for 272 yards, and linebackers Lawrence Taylor and Andy Headen each sacked him twice. Taylor had 11 solo tackles.

“I prepared hard this week, I got some sleep, I didn’t go to bars,” Taylor said. “Playing a team like Washington is easy for me, nothing tricky.”