The Commanders knew exactly what Thursday night meant, and they played like a team that couldn’t afford to blink.
Washington walked into MetLife Stadium with its season hanging on the edge, then survived a wild finish to beat the Giants 24-21 and stay alive in the NFC East race. The margin for error had already been burned away in the early part of the year, and this was the kind of game the Commanders simply had to have. They got it, even if the path there was messy and nerve-rattling.
The fourth quarter turned into a full-on test of nerve. Washington had a lead or tie late for the third straight Thursday night game, only to watch the Giants rip off a 66-yard catch-and-run on a pass from J.J.
McCarthy to tight end Isaiah Likely with about eight minutes left. From there, the Commanders were forced into the sort of closing sequence they’ve struggled to handle all season.
Jayden Daniels opened the door to trouble with his first interception of the season. After Washington moved the ball well, Daniels took a deep shot to Chig Okonkwo, but the throw was too far inside and Jevon Holland made the play for the Giants with about five minutes remaining.
That wasn’t the end of the drama. Washington’s defense bailed the offense out on third-and-1, when a Jameis Winston sneak was initially ruled a first down before Dan Quinn challenged and got the call overturned. The Commanders got the ball back, only to see Daniels throw another interception on fourth-and-1 from shotgun in a call that made little sense for the situation.
Even then, Washington still had life. With three timeouts and the two-minute warning, the Commanders managed to get the ball back again.
This time, Daniels made it count. Stefon Diggs found space quickly, Daniels got him the ball, and Diggs turned it into a 32-yard go-ahead touchdown.
The offense had to keep reshuffling all night, too. Washington came in without Terry McLaurin, who is on injured reserve, and expected Okonkwo and Diggs to carry much of the passing load. Then Okonkwo left early and went to the locker room with a back injury, listed as questionable to return.
That forced Daniels to lean on younger options, and they delivered. Ben Sinnott, who entered the night with just one catch, became a real factor. He made several strong plays, including an acrobatic catch and leap over a would-be tackler, then scored a key touchdown at the end of the first half.
After the break, Washington needed another answer when New York grabbed the lead early in the second half. Daniels found rookie Antonio Williams on his first target of the game, and Williams turned it into a 31-yard touchdown that gave the Commanders a huge lift.
Okonkwo eventually returned in the fourth quarter, but by then Washington had already leaned on the kind of depth it needed to survive.
The ground game, though, remains a problem Washington hasn’t solved. The Commanders badly want to run the ball, and it showed in the first half with a nearly even run-pass split even though they were averaging just 2.4 yards per carry. Bill Croskey-Merritt has been on injured reserve for three games, and while Rachaad White can make things happen, the blocking has been shaky outside of right guard Sam Cosmi.
That has affected everything from staying on schedule to controlling the clock. Washington’s best performances keep coming when the run game gets going, and that hasn’t happened enough. The Commanders were at 60 or fewer rushing yards in two of their previous three games, and Thursday was another reminder that the issue is still staring them in the face.
White had one explosive late run, and Austin Ekeler had a tough fourth-quarter carry, but this is still not a functional rushing attack. Croskey-Merritt may be back next week, but the Commanders can’t count on that alone to fix the problem. They need more production on the ground, because the rest of the offense is being asked to carry too much.
In Other News...
Dan Quinn Finally Addressed A Costly Commanders Problem
Late-game trouble has become a familiar and frustrating theme around the Commanders, and Dan Quinn finally acknowledged it after the recent loss to the Rams. With two first-year coordinators in David Blough on offense and Daronte Jones on defense, Quinn suggested there are bound to be some growing pains as the staff and roster continue to sort out how to finish games cleanly.
The ending against Los Angeles only sharpened the issue, with Jayden Daniels involved in a controversial play call that ended in a fumble and a loss. Daniels and Quinn both declined to go into much detail afterward, leaving the Commanders with the same lingering question they have been trying to answer all season: how to avoid letting games slip away in the final moments. [Read more 🡒]
Jayden Daniels Faces A Week 10 Test The Giants Just Complicated
Jayden Daniels is heading into another one of those early-season checkpoints that can say a lot about where a young quarterback and his team really stand. The Commanders have already seen what Daniels can do at the helm after his electric rookie year, when he pushed Washington all the way to the NFC championship game and earned Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Now he is working through a new offensive coordinator and a different system, which makes every week feel a little more revealing than the last.
Week 10 adds another layer because it brings Daniels back across from J.J. McCarthy, another member of the 2024 rookie quarterback class who has taken a far different path. McCarthy missed his rookie season because of injury, then wound up with the Giants after losing the starting job in Minnesota, and he is now settling in as New York's starter following a midseason trade. Their second meeting as starters has the feel of a familiar matchup with a very different backdrop, and for Washington, the Giants have just made the test a little more complicated. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Face One Week 10 Decision That Could Swing Fantasy Lineups
The Week 10 matchup with the Giants has turned into a tricky fantasy puzzle for anyone building a DraftKings showdown lineup around Washington. Jayden Daniels remains the obvious centerpiece after his recent production and dual-threat upside, while the rest of the Commanders offense has to be sorted through a matchup that also puts New York playmakers like Malik Nabers on the radar. Tight ends Isaiah Likely and Chig Okonkwo, along with kickers Dominic Zvada and Drew Stevens, round out the pool of names that could matter in a one-game format where every touch and every field goal attempt can swing the slate.
Washingtons backfield adds another layer of uncertainty for fantasy managers trying to read the game script. The Commanders have settled into a two-man running back committee, which makes it harder to project volume and forces a closer look at how touches will be divided in a matchup that could stay tight. For a team still trying to balance efficiency with opportunity, that split could be the difference between a useful lineup play and a frustrating fade. [Read more 🡒]