Dan Quinn didn’t hide from the emotion of it. He slammed his headset, stood on the field in disbelief, and watched a game Washington had positioned itself to finish instead turn into a 27-27 tie with the Giants.
The Commanders had a chance to set up a game-winning field goal in overtime, but the final sequence unraveled when the clock kept draining and Jayden Daniels went down with the ball too late for another play to be snapped. The field goal, which would have come from the low 40-yard range, never happened.
By the time the game was over, Quinn was still stewing over how it ended.
"Leaving tonight with a tie feels like a loss."
He added, "The right call is to clock it early and don't put ourselves in that spot, and that's my responsibility and nobody else's,"
Quinn made clear he did not want the mistake pinned on Daniels, saying the final sequence "does not fall on" the quarterback. He also said he had not spoken to Daniels yet, but repeated that the blame belongs elsewhere.
"At the end, I can make life easy there," Quinn said.
Daniels saw it differently, taking the burden onto himself.
"It starts from everybody, top down," Daniels said. "Ultimately, it's on me."
The tie leaves Washington at 1-3-1, still alone in last place in the NFC East. Had the Commanders finished the job, they would have been the only NFC East team to win in Week 5 and would have moved within a game of the division lead.
In Other News...
Jets Fans Are Demanding Answers After Another Officiating Flashpoint
Officiating complaints had already been building by the time Week 5 rolled around, and the Giants found themselves right in the middle of it during their game against the Commanders. Social media lit up with frustration as fans picked apart the referee decisions from around the league, with the Giants-Commanders matchup drawing extra attention because of disputed calls that left plenty of people wanting a clearer explanation.
The most talked-about moment in that game came after a lengthy review of a scoring play, a sequence that only added to the sense that the day had drifted beyond the usual margin-for-error debates. A separate pass interference call also drew criticism, and with similar grievances spilling over from Jets-Browns, the officiating conversation quickly became a two-game headache for New York-area fans and for Aaron Glenn, who was reportedly unhappy with how things were handled. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Face Another Prove-It Spot As Doubts Keep Following Them
The Giants keep finding themselves in spots where the record says one thing and the betting line says another. At 3-1-1 and sitting atop the NFC East, they still enter Week 6 as small home underdogs against the Saints, a reflection of how much skepticism lingers around a team that has had to grind through uneven stretches on both sides of the ball.
New Orleans comes in at 1-4 after a recent loss, so this is hardly a matchup that should overwhelm New York on paper. Still, the Giants have not exactly made things easy on themselves with turnovers and defensive lapses, which is why this feels like another one of those prove-it moments where a win would say more than the standings do. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Need A Better Plan For Jameis Winston Early
The Giants found some rhythm late in their recent game by leaning into a no-huddle approach and opening up the passing game, a shift John Harbaugh pointed to as a major reason the offense finally came alive after a slow start. Jameis Winston was more productive once the tempo picked up, and the turnaround helped New York put 24 points on the board in the second half after an uneven opening stretch.
Now the challenge is whether that version of the offense can show up earlier, not just after halftime adjustments have already been made. Harbaugh said faster pace and cleaner execution could help the Giants avoid another sluggish start, and the upcoming matchup with the New Orleans Saints will be a useful test of whether this approach can work from the opening drive instead of serving as a recovery plan. [Read more 🡒]