Deonte Banks’ first career interception sparked key Giants touchdown drive

Deonte Banks delivered the keepsake ball from his first career interception to his mother in the MetLife Stadium crowd.

Players don’t keep the ball after making big tackles — otherwise Banks would’ve had a few more souvenirs to stash with family members.

In a rock fight dominated by the Giants’ defense, the rookie first-round draft pick made his impact felt with an interception that set up Saquon Barkley’s touchdown catch and added two third-down stops that helped keep fourth-quarter points off the board Sunday in a 14-7 victory against the Commanders.

“He’s a guy that you never worry about,” safety Xavier McKinney said. “Even when somebody catches a pass on him, his level of play and the standard he holds himself to is always going to be high. When you play with a cornerback like that who never gets flustered, you are able to do different things on the back end. They were big plays by him.”

Banks’ best game to date was well-timed with top cornerback Adoree’ Jackson (neck) sidelined and with an opportunity to show the Commanders that they made a mistake drafting cornerback Emmanuel Forbes (pick No. 16) instead of their hometown product Banks (No. 24).

He held three-time 1,000-yard receiver Terry McLaurin without a catch in the first half while making his own grab of a floating Sam Howell pass.

“We were in a zone, so the tight end ran an under [route], and I climbed high for the over and I went to go get it,” Banks said. “It was a great play for us. We scored off of that turnover.”

McLaurin (six catches for 90 yards) got going in the second half, but Banks still made his presence known.

Banks tackled McLaurin 3 yards shy of the first down on a third-and-9 before Leonard Williams blocked a 27-yard field-goal attempt, he tackled Curtis Samuel 1 yard shy of the sticks on a third-and-3 on the Commanders’ final drive and he had the coverage of McLaurin on the first of back-to-back incompletions from the 7-yard line that closed out the game.

“That really just comes with coverage, to be honest. Go tackle him and play the next down,” Banks said. “We want to be the last ones on the field. We want the game in our hands.”

Banks said his parents make the trip to all Giants’ home games and the interception keepsake was a planned idea because “my mother and father have always been there for me.”

Maybe that support is why Banks didn’t flinch when tasked with replacing Jackson as the Giants started two rookie cornerbacks — Tre Hawkins was the other — in a must-have game.

“Something that’s important for all of us is to put the team first,” head coach Brian Daboll said, “and he does that.”