Commanders Let A Strange Giants Milestone Slip Into A Missed Win

In a historic performance, Malik Nabers and Isaiah Likely shine in a thrilling game that ends in a dramatic stalemate.

Malik Nabers and Isaiah Likely gave the Giants a day for the record books on Sunday, but New York still walked away from its 27-27 tie with Washington feeling like there was more on the table.

The two Giants pass-catchers became just the second wide receiver-tight end pair in NFL history to each post at least 11 catches, 90 receiving yards and one touchdown in the same game. The only other duo to do it was Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson and T.J.

Hockenson on Dec. 24, 2022.

Likely led the way with a career day. He hauled in 11 of 13 targets for 94 yards and two touchdowns, turning in his best statistical showing of the season in his first year with New York after spending his first four NFL seasons with Baltimore.

Nabers matched him catch for catch in volume, finishing with 11 receptions on 20 targets for 121 yards and a touchdown. It was his highest catch total since he grabbed 12 against Dallas as a rookie in 2024, and it also extended his scoring streak to two straight games after opening the season without a touchdown over the first three weeks.

Their production put them in the same statistical class as Jefferson and Hockenson, but the Giants couldn’t convert that kind of firepower into a win.

The overtime period slipped away from New York when running back Cam Skattebo lost a fumble on a drive that had pushed the Giants into better field-goal range. Washington later had a chance of its own, reaching the Giants’ 26-yard line with 55 seconds left, but poor clock management kept the Commanders from lining up a potential game-winning kick before time ran out.

The result leaves the Giants at 3-1-1 as they turn to a Week 6 home matchup with the New Orleans Saints, who are 1-4.

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The deeper grades, though, point to the areas that keep turning close games into missed chances. Pass protection had issues, the secondary never really settled in and the coaching evaluation centered on game management, the kind of stuff that becomes impossible to ignore when a lead slips away. Washington left New York with a tie on the record, but the report card reads like a reminder that the margin for error is already too thin. [Read more 🡒]