The Commanders blew a two-touchdown lead in Sunday’s 27-27 tie against the New York Giants, despite a pair of rushing scores by quarterback Jayden Daniels in his first game back since dislocating his left elbow in Week 2.
Washington held a 27-13 lead in the final frame before allowing 17 unanswered points to close the game.
An overtime fumble by Giants running back Cam Skattebo prevented New York from kicking a game-winning field goal with less than two minutes remaining. Daniels and the Commanders couldn’t capitalize. They bobbled their time management, with Daniels going down in bounds without a timeout as the final seconds ticked away. Washington couldn’t attempt a game-winning kick of its own.
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Daniels and the Commanders offense came out firing to start the game. Damp conditions didn’t slow the attack down early, with a four-play touchdown drive that ended with a 33-yard score by running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt. Rookie kicker Drew Stevens missed the extra-point attempt, though.
Daniels looked comfortable in his first game back from a dislocated left elbow, with a chunky brace protecting the vulnerable joint. He completed both of his two pass attempts on the opening drive, finding tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo for 34 total yards. The dual-threat quarterback added a two-yard scramble on the drive, taking a hit for the first time since leaving the Week 2 loss to the Dallas Cowboys with an injury.
New York defenders offered stiffer resistance for the remainder of the game.
Daniels finished with 199 passing yards, completing 17 of his 25 pass attempts.
A pair of first-quarter punts by the Commanders allowed the Giants to boot a 51-yard field goal to halve the lead at the end of the opening frame.
Washington’s defense helped out while the offense struggled. Late in the second quarter, edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson secured a sack and a forced fumble against New York’s Jameis Winston. The bouncing ball skittered away from Winston, allowing Commanders lineman Tim Settle to recover.
Stevens booted another field goal after a Commanders three-and-out to give Washington a 12-3 advantage.
New York nullified that with a field goal of its own on the first drive of the second half.
The Giants couldn’t suffocate Daniels forever, though. He broke free from the pocket on his first drive of the third quarter and saw nothing but green grass ahead of him. New York’s defenders couldn’t catch up, as Daniels jogged into the end zone for his first rushing touchdown since Nov. 2, 2025 — when he initially dislocated his elbow during a loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Daniels finished with 103 rushing yards.
Winston’s Giants kept pace. The second-string passer threw for 326 yards and three touchdowns, starting for the injured Jaxson Dart.
The backup quarterback orchestrated a methodical 13-play drive that sapped the final seven minutes off the clock in the third quarter. But, at the Washington 10-yard line, it seemed to have come to a screeching halt. Commanders cornerback Amik Robertson jumped in front of a pass at the goal-line for what would’ve been a game-changing interception.
But officials determined that Robertson’s coverage was slightly too physical, as he was called for defensive pass interference. The Giants scored on a three-yard touchdown pass to tight end Isaiah Likely moments later, narrowing the score to 19-13.
One rushing touchdown wasn’t enough for Daniels. In an almost identical fourth quarter run, he again bailed on the pocket to escape downfield. He had to juke past one New York defender en route to paydirt.
It was only the second time in Daniels’ career — and the first time since his NFL debut — that he rushed for multiple rushing scores in the same game.
A two-point pass to wide receiver Terry McLaurin cemented the Washington lead at 27-14.
Still, the pesky Giants wouldn’t go away. Winston again engineered an extended scoring drive — again capping it with a touchdown pass to Likely — to cut the score to 27-20.
A Washington three-and-out gave New York life with five minutes remaining in the final frame. The Giants capitalized. It took them 10 plays to march 72 yards down the field, securing chunk after chunk against the Commanders’ secondary.
Winston found wide receiver Malik Nabers in the end zone for a 17-yard touchdown with less than two minutes left to knot the score at 27.
Daniels and the Commanders couldn’t mount a game-winning drive at the end of regulation. But Washington won the overtime coin flip and allowed New York to take the first possession.
It was the right call.
Giants kicker Dominic Zvada missed a potential go-ahead field goal from 46 yards out, hooking it wide left.
Washington only needed a field goal on its overtime drive to secure the win. The Commanders couldn’t get it. They punted after the offensive stalled, pinning the Giants at the 10-yard line.
The Commanders’ defensive struggles continued in overtime. New York’s second drive of the added period featured a 19-yard run by Cam Skattebo and a 28-yard strike from Winston to Nabers that moved the Giants into field goal range.
But, with the Giants running down the clock to kick the game-winning field goal, Skattebo fumbled. Daniels quickly led a Commanders’ counterpunch with time ticking away. But they committed an egregious clock management mistake.
Washington had the ball in field goal range with 12 seconds remaining. But, instead of throwing the ball away to preserve a chance at a kick, Daniels took a sack. The Commanders couldn’t reset to spike the football. Time expired in the 10-minute overtime period, resulting in an unusual tie.
The Commanders, now 1-3-1, face the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 19 on “Monday Night Football.”
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