Commanders rally past Giants 24-21 on Daniels' touchdown pass with 57 seconds left

A comeback in the final minute

On Thursday, 12 November, the Washington Commanders beat the New York Giants 24-21 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Guardian called the game essentially a must-win for Washington, which had lost Daniels' first two interceptions of the season before rallying. Daniels drove the offense on a three-play touchdown drive that he finished with a 32-yard pass to Stefon Diggs with 57 seconds left. He completed 23 of 33 passes for 249 yards and three touchdowns, while the two interceptions came on the previous two drives, one from Jevon Holland and one from Ar'Darius Washington.

After the game, Diggs praised his quarterback.

“It's been a crazy year for us, but we're 1-0 this week so we're heading in the right direction.”

The Giants' final drive

J.J. McCarthy, starting his first home game for New York after a trade from Minnesota in late September, threw for a career-high 293 yards on 23 completions. A 66-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Likely had put the Giants back ahead midway through the fourth quarter. With 34 seconds left, Rasul Douglas intercepted a jump ball intended for Malik Nabers, after McCarthy had two incomplete throws against a Washington blitz. McCarthy defended his decision after the game.

“It's easy to second-guess the final two passes”

Coach John Harbaugh pointed to the defensive look that Washington used against the Giants' final series.

“Zero blitzes, and those are the routes getting run”

Washington's pressure and Winston's gamble

Washington's first-year defensive coordinator, Daronte Jones, sent extra rushers at McCarthy, who had worked with Jones in Minnesota under Brian Flores. Backup quarterback Jameis Winston also drew attention in the fourth quarter. On a fourth-and-1 from the Giants' 11-yard line, he went through his snap calls and then sang 'Who let the dogs out', a moment that Amazon Prime's microphones picked up. The Commanders did not jump offside, so New York took a delay-of-game penalty and punted the ball away.

What it means for the NFC East

With the win, Washington improved to 3-5-1, two games behind the NFC East-leading Giants at 5-3-1, and now owns the tiebreaker after the teams tied last month. The Commanders have a mini-bye before they play the Cincinnati Bengals and Joe Burrow on Monday Night Football on 23 November. For the Giants, a Dallas Cowboys win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, 15 November, would give Dallas five wins, matching New York's total. New York's next games are against the Jacksonville Jaguars, a visit to the Indianapolis Colts, and then the 49ers and Seattle Seahawks.