In the second quarter, Marco Coleman knocked Kent Graham out of the game. On the first play of the fourth quarter, he plucked Kerry Collins' fumble out of the air and ran 42 yards for a touchdown.

With first place in the NFC East on the line, the Washington Redskins relied on their defense for a change, forcing five turnovers and getting four sacks in Sunday's 23-13 victory.

The final turnover came when Collins fumbled the snap at the Redskins' 27 as the Giants were driving to try to tie the game with 4:03 to play. Kenard Lang recovered, the final big play from a defense ranked worst in the league.

The Giants then held the Redskins short of a first down on three plays, but Percy Ellsworth's late hit on Jon Jansen kept the Redskins drive alive. Washington then drove downfield for Brett Conway's 37-yard field goal that clinched the win.

The Redskins (6-4) broke a two-game losing streak and moved into sole possession of first place with Dallas' loss to Arizona. The Giants (5-5), unable to avenge a 50-21 defeat to Washington in Week 2, have lost two in a row after winning three straight.

Stephen Davis rushed for a career-high 183 yards on 33 carries and his 15th touchdown of the season for the Redskins. Davis, who also fumbled on the Giants' 1-yard line, became the first back in the NFC to rush for 1,000 yards this season.

The Redskins outgained the Giants 363-301, but were hurt by three missed field goals by Conway and two turnovers, including Davis' fumble in the first half. For the second week in a row, New York didn't get its offense going until it went to a hurry-up, spread formation in the fourth quarter.

Ndukwe Kalu, who missed the previous four games with broken foot, supplied the hit to Collins' blind side that sent the ball to Coleman, who ran untouched for the touchdown that put the Redskins up 20-6.

But the Giants came right back. Collins, who entered the game after Graham got his second concussion of the season, led a 71-yard drive that included two pass interference penalties before Charles Way's 1-yard scoring run.

The game featured the kind of wacky plays that have come to be associated with the Giants-Redskins rivalry. For instance, each team tried a flea-flicker in the first half - and both times it was intercepted.

There were also three pass interference penalties in the end zone - two were drawn by Washington's Albert Connell - and a fourth could have easily been called. The officials missed an obvious interference in the end zone against Washington's Sam Shade, allowing Darrell Green to get an interception on New York's flea-flicker attempt.

With the Redskins ahead 10-3, Washington appeared ready to break the game open when Connell put a move on Jason Sehorn and forced the cornerback into an interference penalty in the end zone. But Davis fumbled the handoff on first-and-goal, and the Giants hurried 71 yards for Cary Blanchard's second 44-yard field goal of the game on the last play of the first half.