The New York Giants and Washington Commanders spent Sunday night finding new ways to let a win slip away, and the result was a 27-27 tie that felt less like a finish and more like a shared collapse.
New York had every excuse to shut it down after falling behind by 14 in the fourth quarter. Instead, Jameis Winston dragged the Giants back to life, hitting Isaiah Likely and Malik Nabers for touchdowns to tie the game at 27.
That comeback mattered. It just didn’t survive the final stretch.
The Giants had chances in overtime, too, and they wasted them. Dominic Zvada missed his third field-goal attempt of the afternoon on New York’s opening overtime drive, leaving points on the field at a moment when one make could have tilted the whole game.
Then, after the defense got Washington to send the ball back, Cam Skattebo coughed it up when Daron Payne punched the ball free. Just like that, another opening vanished.
Winston’s effort was real. So was New York’s fight. But a comeback only counts if you finish it, and the Giants kept stumbling when the door was wide open.
Washington’s ending was even harder to explain.
The Commanders had controlled the game with a 27-13 lead in the fourth quarter, only to watch it disappear. Even after surviving the Giants’ missed kick and turnover in overtime, they still had one more chance to win it. Jayden Daniels moved the offense into position and got Washington to the Giants’ 24-yard line with 12 seconds left, putting a 42-yard game-winning field goal within reach.
Then came the blunder. With no timeouts, Daniels scrambled up the middle and got tackled in bounds. Washington couldn’t get set fast enough to spike the ball before the clock hit zero, and the game ended before the Commanders even got to try the kick.
Daniels accepted responsibility afterward, but this one wasn’t on him alone. Dan Quinn and the offensive staff have to wear the clock management mess, too.
When the kick is there, the mission is simple: get the field-goal unit on the field and take the points. Washington chose to gamble for a few extra yards and ran out of time.
That left both teams with the same bitter ending, only with different flavors of frustration.
The Giants finished at 3-1-1, and Winston’s line stood out: 326 yards and three touchdowns. The Commanders fell to 1-3-1, but Daniels’ return gave them a live offense again and a path to the finish line. Neither side, though, can call this a good outcome.
New York has to clean up the kicking game and the turnovers. Washington has to get the late-game operation under control. On a night when both teams had the game in their hands, neither one was able to hold on.
In Other News...
Commanders Report Card Reveals What Really Cost Them A Win In New York
A detailed look at Washingtons Week 5 trip to New York makes one thing clear: this was not just a game that slipped away, it was a game the Commanders let get messy in the margins. The report card found bright spots in the rushing offense and along the defensive line, while also showing how the passing game and protection left too much work for the rest of the team to cover.
Special teams and coaching also came under the microscope, because the tie with the Giants felt less like a clean finish and more like a lesson in game management. Washington had built enough of a cushion to control the afternoon, but the final verdict from the breakdown is that the Commanders issues in pass protection, secondary play and late-game decision-making added up at exactly the wrong time. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Fans Are Still Questioning One Backfield Decision In The Tie
Jacory "Bill" Croskey-Merritt was one of the few bright spots in Washingtons 27-27 tie with the Giants, and the rookies work on the ground stood out even in a game that left plenty to sort through. He led the Commanders in rushing yardage and looked like the kind of back who could help steady an offense that needed a dependable spark as the afternoon wore on.
So it caught the eye when the backfield usage shifted late, with the Commanders leaning away from the runner who had been most effective. Rachaad White handled the rest of the carries while Croskey-Merritt stayed on the sideline, and the decision only added to the questions surrounding a game that already felt strange in the way it unfolded. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Keep Wasting Leads And Dan Quinn Has A Bigger Problem
The late-game mess in overtime only deepened what has become a familiar problem for Washington: promising starts, then a defense that cannot close the door. The Commanders did force turnovers and had chances to get out with a win, but a clock-management mistake helped turn the game into a tie, and the bigger concern remains how often the defense has let opponents hang around long enough to make those moments matter.
Under Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Daronte Jones, the units issues are not limited to one bad drive or one unlucky break. Coverage busts and big plays have kept showing up after halftime, and even when Washington has been ahead, the second-half resistance has not held up. For a team trying to build something sturdier, the frustration is no longer just about one lead slipping away, but about the same weaknesses resurfacing again and again. [Read more 🡒]