Jayden Daniels threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs with 57 seconds left, and the Washington Commanders rallied past the New York Giants 24-21 on Thursday night at MetLife Stadium. The Commanders Giants win in Week 10 kept Washington alive in the NFC East race and gave the Commanders the season tiebreaker over the Giants.
Daniels finished 23 of 33 for 249 yards with three touchdown passes and two interceptions. The two interceptions were his first of the season, and both came on consecutive drives in the fourth quarter before he led the drive that won the game. Diggs caught six passes for 83 yards and scored the touchdown that decided it. The Commanders Giants matchup was the second meeting of the season between the teams, after they tied last month.
How the Commanders Giants game turned in the fourth quarter
The Commanders Giants game changed twice in the final nine minutes. New York took a 21-17 lead with 8:13 left when Isaiah Likely took a pass from J.J. McCarthy and ran 66 yards for a touchdown. The Giants then intercepted Daniels on back-to-back drives. Safety Jevon Holland took the ball away from Chig Okonkwo at the 2-yard line with the Commanders on the Giants 24 with 5:27 left, and Ar’Darius Washington stepped in front of Okonkwo on fourth-and-2 at the Washington 45 with 2:15 left.
New York could not run out the clock. With 3:27 left, the Giants lined up with backup quarterback Jameis Winston under center on fourth-and-1 from their own 11, took a delay of game penalty, and punted. Washington got the ball with 1:46 remaining and one timeout, down by four points. The Commanders needed only three plays to go 71 yards, helped by a 33-yard pass interference penalty on Deonte Banks as he covered Treylon Burks. Three plays later, Diggs scored.
The Giants reached the Washington 48 on their final drive, but McCarthy’s deep throw to Malik Nabers was intercepted by Rasul Douglas with 25 seconds left to end the game. The teams traded the lead four times in the second half, and Washington won by scoring a touchdown on its final drive for the first time, according to ESPN.
Daniels steadies after his first interceptions of the season
Daniels had gone through the season without an interception before Thursday, and his response to the two late picks decided the game. He led the offense down the field on the final drive and found Diggs over the middle. Diggs caught the pass at the New York 25, broke the tackle of Dru Phillips, and raced into the end zone. The touchdown was the 80th of Diggs’ career, and he is the 30th player in league history to reach that mark.
Antonio Williams and Ben Sinnott also caught touchdown passes for Washington. Daniels threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Williams with 6:56 left in the third quarter, and Williams caught the ball inside the 20-yard line before finishing the play. Rachaad White ran for 47 yards on 11 carries for the Commanders.
Giants offense falls short after a strong night
McCarthy finished 23 of 36 for 293 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Cam Skattebo had 18 carries for 78 yards and two touchdowns and caught three passes for 44 yards. Likely had nine receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown, and his 66-yard catch-and-run midway through the fourth quarter gave New York its last lead of the night.
The Commanders Giants game finished with New York outgaining Washington 399 to 340, but the Giants missed a field goal and had two turnovers. The second turnover, the interception by Douglas, came when New York was in range to try a tying kick. New York had stopped Washington twice in the fourth quarter and still could not close out the win.
What the Commanders Giants result means in the NFC East
The Commanders Giants result left Washington at 3-5-1 and New York at 5-3-1. Washington moved two games back of the NFC East-leading Giants and now owns the tiebreaker after the teams tied last month. In the Commanders Giants series, Washington is now 5-0-1 in the last six meetings.
Daniels had called the Week 10 matchup a must-win game, and the win kept that hope alive. The Commanders Giants tiebreaker now belongs to Washington, and the team welcomes the Bengals to Northwest Stadium for Monday Night Football on Nov. 23.