The Commanders walked out of Sunday with a 27-27 tie against the Giants, but the part that really stings is how long they had control of it. Washington led by 14 points with about seven minutes left, then watched New York rip off 14 unanswered points to drag the game into overtime.
That finish will get the loudest replay treatment, but it wasn’t the only issue. The Commanders had chances to put this away well before the final sequence, and they let too many of them slip.
There were bright spots on offense, starting with the ground game. Washington ran for 202 yards on 30 carries, and while Jayden Daniels accounted for more than half of that total with two rushing touchdowns on nine attempts, the backs still did plenty of damage.
Bill Croskey-Merritt led the way with 82 yards and a score on 11 carries, and the return of Sam Cosmi plus Lucas Patrick’s upgrade at center clearly helped. Even so, the Commanders didn’t finish the job with the run game when they needed to, and a stronger second half from that unit could have closed the door earlier.
Daniels also gave the passing game enough to work with. He went 17 of 25 for 199 yards, averaged eight yards per attempt and posted a 91.9 rating.
He connected on some important throws to Terry McLaurin and Treylon Burks in the late stages, and the ball moved through the air well enough to keep Washington on schedule. Chig Okonkwo flashed early before fading.
But the passing attack never really took over, and there was a recurring problem that keeps showing up whenever Dyami Brown gets involved: “Only bad things happen.”
The bigger concern was protection. Brandon Coleman had a rough afternoon at left tackle while dealing with Abdul Carter and the blitzes coming from that side, and Daniels absorbed five sacks and seven hits. That’s simply too much punishment for a quarterback the offense needs to keep upright.
Defensively, the Commanders showed why their front has become the calling card of the unit. The Giants managed 3.7 yards per carry, which is a respectable number even though they topped 100 rushing yards overall.
Washington also handled the zone-read well, and getting a Cam Skatebo fumble in overtime looked like a massive swing before it was wiped away. But the defense also gave up some bad moments, including letting Jameis Winston hurt them at key times.
Even so, the run defense remains the steadiest part of this team.
Against the pass, though, the cracks were obvious. Winston, a backup quarterback, threw for 326 yards, and Washington’s early blitz-heavy approach worked only until it didn’t.
Amik Robertson was denied an interception at the goal line by a rough pass interference call that changed the game, and he generally held up well in a difficult matchup with Malik Nabers. K’Lavon Chaisson delivered a sack-fumble, but the Commanders finished with only two sacks.
Nabers and Isaiah Likely got loose in a way Washington couldn’t allow, with Nabers especially effective when Robertson wasn’t on him.
The secondary is in bad shape. Outside of Robertson and the occasional Rasul Douglas pass breakup, the group struggled badly. Safety and cornerback remain major problems, and the Giants exploited them late when Winston somehow finished with a 131.7 passer rating in the second half run.
Special teams did its part more than enough to keep Washington in position. Drew Stevens hit both of his field goals, and he should’ve had a third chance to win it.
Tress Way was solid, placing two of his six punts inside the 10 and averaging 52 yards per punt. The Commanders also need to keep Jaylin Lane out of the return rotation.
On the sideline, though, the Commanders gave too much away. Dan Quinn took the blame for the ending, and that’s fair.
The final decision-making sequence was a mess, and the call should have been to clock it rather than have Daniels tuck the ball. It was a makeable field goal, and Stevens should’ve gotten the shot.
The pre-snap penalties were another coaching issue that kept killing drives.
Defensive coordinator Daronte Jones had a plan that worked early, but it unraveled in the second half as Winston kept finding completions against the blitz. The Commanders have now been giving up second-half points in bunches, and Jones has to find answers that fit the personnel he actually has, especially with the secondary needing help. Put it all together, and this was a rough day for the coaching staff from start to finish.
In Other News...
Commanders Let Another Division Win Slip Away In Brutal Finish
The closing minutes of the Giants-Commanders game drew plenty of attention, and not for the kind of football either side wanted. Former Steelers coach and current NBC analyst Mike Tomlin was among those reacting to the finish, which unraveled into a sequence of mistakes that left both teams shaking their heads. On the New York side, Cam Skattebo coughed up a chance at a game-winning field goal, while Washington let its own final opportunity slip away in a tie that felt more like a loss than a result.
Dan Quinn and Jayden Daniels both took responsibility for the Commanders' part of the mess, which is some comfort only in the narrowest sense. The bigger problem is that Washington let a divisional win sit there, then watched it disappear in brutal fashion, the kind of ending that lingers because it was there to be taken and never quite was. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Fans Are Demanding Answers After Another Officiating Flashpoint
Week 5 around the NFL brought another round of officiating chatter, and Washington was right in the middle of it. The Commanders game against the Giants featured multiple disputed calls that had fans on social media venting about the referee crew, while the Jets matchup with the Browns also became part of the broader frustration simmering across the league.
For Commanders fans, the irritation was not hard to understand. A pass interference penalty earlier in the game drew heavy backlash, and a touchdown ruling later in the afternoon only added to the sense that the discussion would linger well beyond the final whistle. With Jets head coach Aaron Glenn also reportedly upset about what unfolded in his teams game, the week left plenty of people asking for explanations and, in some corners, even investigations. [Read more 🡒]
Dan Quinn Just Turned Commanders Mistakes Into A Bigger Problem
The Commanders latest loss to the Giants fit the kind of afternoon that can linger well beyond one result, because a 14-point lead vanished and the mistakes kept piling up in the most damaging moments. Washington had enough chances to steady itself, but the game instead turned into another reminder of how fragile the margin is when the defense, penalties and offensive line all remain works in progress.
Dan Quinn has already owned the larger share of the blame, but the frustration goes deeper than one blown lead. The overtime sequence only sharpened the scrutiny around his side of the sideline, and the bigger concern for Washington is that the problems are starting to look connected rather than isolated, leaving the coach under increasing pressure as the season moves forward. [Read more 🡒]