4 winners (and 3 losers) from Commanders' skid-halting success at the Giants

Of all the games remaining for the Washington Commanders this season, their trip to the New York Giants looked the most winnable. It wasn't easy, but head coach Dan Quinn's squad dug deep to end their eight-game losing streak and sweep a division rival for good measure.

The Giants are a poor outfit. Washington isn't much better, but they at least executed more effectively in the end. This also put to rest speculation that Quinn had lost the locker room amid a turbulent campaign.

Everyone is still showing the correct determination. They are still pulling hard for Quinn and are completely bought into his coaching methods. That's not the case with other struggling franchises across the league, so it's a genuine positive for fans to hold onto.

The Commanders have three games left to build on this positivity. Two of those are against the Philadelphia Eagles, which makes it difficult to generate additional momentum. However, this performance told everyone associated with the organization that they are not going to go down without a fight before attention turns to a crucial offseason for the franchise.

That's for the not-too-distant future. For now, here are four winners and three losers from Washington's skid-halting triumph at MetLife Stadium.

Winners and losers from the Commanders' skid-halting success at the Giants

Winner No. 1

Jaylin Lane - Commanders WR

Even though rookie wide receiver Jaylin Lane is struggling to force his way into the team's offensive strategy, he's carving out a pretty decent niche for himself in another discipline. And he put this on full display with a pendulum-shifting moment in Week 15 that tipped the scales.

Lane's punt return exploits this season have been a breath of fresh air. He's decisive, explosive, and elusive, which means the former Virginia Tech weapon is capable of breaking off significant gains from even the slightest creases. The fourth-round pick put this to good use by electrifying a freezing afternoon with another return for a touchdown.

It was relatively straightforward. Lane cut once, and burst through the New York Giants' special-teams coverage before leaving everyone in the dust. That is now two return scores for the player, becoming the first Washington player since the great Brian Mitchell to achieve this feat in a single campaign.

Kliff Kingsbury remains reluctant to give him targets, which is fine. Lane is early in his development, but finding other ways to make a lasting contribution represents an outstanding foundation on which to build moving forward.