Collins felt tremendous getting first win vs. Giants originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
It took him longer than he would've liked, but Landon Collins finally secured a win against his former team Thursday night when Washington beat the Giants 30-29 on a game-winning field goal.
After three Pro-Bowl selections with the Giants, Collins signed a six-year, $84 million contract with Washington ahead of the 2019 season. In three matchups against New York before Thursday night (two in 2019, one in 2020), Collins was winless against his old club.
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Now he's in the win column, and he feels pretty good about it.
“[It felt] tremendously, man," Collins said after Thursday's game. "Y’all know how much backlash and how much stuff I get about the Giants. ‘I should’ve never left,’ and this and that. For me just to get that win, any kind of way, a win is a just win. Regardless of the fact I can say I beat the Giants, it is a great feeling in my heart. I'm just glad to be winning with [Washington]."
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Collins has struggled to regain his status as a perennial Pro-Bowler in Washington since signing on as a prized free agent. 2019 wasn't a good year for anyone on the Washington side as the team went 3-13, and then Collins was forced to miss all but seven games last year after suffering an Achilles injury.
But then Collins put together a remarkable seven-month recovery from Achilles surgery in order to be ready for the start of the 2021 campaign. The Washington defense hasn't lived up to expectations through two weeks, but Collins remains a starter at safety and in a good position to become an impact defender once again.
"I feel awesome, I feel awesome," Collins said. "No back lag, nothing setting me back, nothing holding me back. I'm just flying around now."
