Not all ties are created equal. The New York Giants celebrated Sunday’s 27-27 result against the Commanders as if they’d won a playoff game. Meanwhile, the Commanders reacted as if it were a soul-crushing blowout.
The circumstances matter. Washington had the ball in reasonable field goal range with less than a minute left in overtime. All the Commanders needed to do was spike the ball and send out rookie kicker Drew Stevens for a game-winning 41-yard field goal.
But the Commanders didn’t do that.
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Instead, Jayden Daniels snapped the ball with 12 seconds left. The idea, according to coach Dan Quinn, was that he’d either spike the football into the grass or chuck it into the stands if a pass near the sideline was unavailable. The Commanders were out of timeouts.
He did neither. The dual-threat quarterback crumpled to the ground near the line of scrimmage and showed little urgency to get up as the final seconds ticked off the clock. What could’ve easily been a last-second Washington win devolved into an unlikely tie.
“Just got to be better,” Daniels said, a refrain he repeated seven times in his five-minute post-game press conference. “We’ve all got to be better, situationally.”
When the clock hit zero, New York’s defenders leaped into the air, celebrating the result of a rollercoaster affair.
Washington was crushed. The final play — which left fans, players and media members asking, “What just happened?” — shook the Commanders players and coaches.
Guard Sam Cosmi kicked a pylon on his way off the field. Quinn threw his headset and stood motionless on the field as New York celebrated the result.
“It feels like a loss,” Quinn said. “The last sequence … that’s my responsibility. Gutted for our team.”
The coach took accountability for the final mistake, but the Commanders’ performance was riddled with miscues after a promising first half.
Washington entered halftime with a 12-3 advantage after stymying New York throughout the first two quarters. The lead ballooned to 27-13 in the fourth quarter after a pair of long touchdown runs by Daniels.
In his first game since dislocating his left elbow against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2, Washington’s Daniels posted a solid performance. He completed 17 of 25 passes for 199 yards through the air, with an additional 103 yards as a runner.
His squad still fell short of a win.
The Commanders’ porous defense squandered the two-possession lead in the fourth quarter. The Giants scored on each of their four second-half possessions, with touchdown passes from quarterback Jameis Winston on the final three drives.
Winston, starting in place of the injured Jaxson Dart, racked up 326 yards on 33-of-54 passing. He routinely found tight end Isaiah Likely and wide receiver Malik Nabers, who each recorded 11 receptions for 94 and 121 yards, respectively.
“We just didn’t make the plays to get off the field,” safety Jeremy Reaves said. “They changed some things up, made some adjustments — we did, as well. We’ve just got to get off the field on critical downs.”
Despite having a 97% win probability in the fourth quarter, according to ESPN’s analytics, the Commanders settled for overtime.
Washington couldn’t pull ahead in overtime, even as the defense stiffened up. The Giants missed a 46-yard field goal attempt in the first possession of the period, giving the Commanders’ offense a shot to win the game.
They couldn’t pull through. Washington punted after gaining just 13 yards on four plays.
But the Commanders’ defenders stepped up in a crucial spot. The Giants had a shot to kick a game-ending field goal from 41 yards out. Instead, they attempted a run with halfback Cam Skattebo to make it an easier kick.
Defensive tackle Daron Payne forced Skattebo to fumble. Fellow lineman Shy Tuttle jumped on it. The Commanders had life with two minutes to score a game-ending touchdown or field goal.
“At that point, it was like, okay, we’ve got to go win this game,” Daniels said.
Daniels marched them down the field with gashing throws to Terry McLaurin, Antonio Williams and Treylon Burks. Then, it all fell apart.
The Commanders had used their timeouts. Stevens had already made kicks from 28 and 40 yards out. The 41-yard potential field goal was well within his range. The remaining clock wasn’t a concern — a successful field goal would end the game.
But Washington’s situational awareness fell short. The Commanders’ offense didn’t need to snap the ball at all with 12 seconds left. But Quinn wanted a few more yards.
“Trying to gain more for the kick. Right call is obviously to clock it and don’t put ourselves in that spot,” the coach later said.
He admitted to frustration as he watched Daniels fall to the ground. That wasn’t the plan.
“The sequencing of that does not fall on him,” Quinn said. “It has to come to me. … Don’t need to put him in that space at all.”
There’s plenty of blame to go around, though. Daniels, as an NFL quarterback, should understand the situation. He should know that the Commanders were out of timeouts, and that any tackle inbounds would necessitate a rapid run to the line for a last-second spike. He didn’t hold up his end of what Quinn routinely calls a “winning-time moment.”
“We have to stop the clock. We have to know the situation,” Daniels said. The final flub ruined what was otherwise his most promising game — the rare occasion that he finished without an injury or a loss — in over a year. “It starts with everyone, top down. Ultimately, it’s on me.”
Daniels wasn’t alone. None of the Commanders on the field seemed to understand the urgency required in the final sequence.
“We just didn’t handle it,” wide receiver Dyami Brown said. “We didn’t manage it correctly. That was it.”
“We’ve just got to communicate that. That’s the whole thing,” Daniels said. “It starts with me communicating that to the whole offense in the huddle, and I think everyone will say that top down.”
The difference between a win and a tie could haunt the Commanders in a competitive NFC East. With the win, the Giants hold the division lead at 3-1-1. The Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys trail at 2-3, with the Commanders sitting in last place at 1-3-1.
Washington’s players said they’ll take 24 hours to stew in the frustration of Sunday’s loss. Then, they’ll prepare to face the 49ers in San Francisco for “Monday Night Football” on Oct. 19.
“You’ve got a 24-hour rule,” Reaves said. “Be pissed. Feel how you feel, whatever it may be. Get to the tape. Get back to work.”
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