The Giants were a couple of minutes from putting the NFC East in a chokehold on Thursday night. Instead, Washington ripped the script away late, and the division race got a whole lot messier.
Jayden Daniels shook off back-to-back second-half interceptions and still delivered the knockout blow, hitting Stefon Diggs for the go-ahead touchdown before Rasul Douglas closed it out with a game-ending interception of J.J. McCarthy in East Rutherford. The Giants had plenty to like, too, especially from McCarthy and Cam Skattebo, but the Commanders left MetLife Stadium with the win and the division picture still very much alive.
Daniels’ night had a little bit of everything, including the kind of resilience Commanders fans want to see. His first two interceptions of the season came on Thursday, but he never looked rattled. Even with a massive brace on his non-throwing arm and limited help after Terry McLaurin’s injury, Daniels kept attacking downfield, stayed aggressive after the turnovers and finished the job with the touchdown to Diggs.
Diggs said after the game that Daniels was "Kobe Bryant," unflinching, in the huddle after the interceptions.
That kind of response matters for Washington, especially with the roster thin around him. The Commanders may not have enough support to make life easy on Daniels this season, but he’s playing with the kind of confidence that makes them dangerous in any game.
McCarthy, meanwhile, gave the Giants a lot to work with even in defeat. The final interception will be the headline, but it doesn’t tell the whole story.
The throw was in a decent spot, and Malik Nabers may have a few regrets about how he handled it. Before that, McCarthy looked poised and in control, and his touchdown pass to Isaiah Likely between defenders with pressure in his face stood out as one of the best moments of his young career.
The Giants would like to clean up the offense after the loss, but McCarthy’s near-300-yard night looked like the work of a quarterback who can keep them in the NFC East hunt.
There was also a fascinating linebacker battle tucked into the game. Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles finished with matching tackle totals at 13 apiece, with Styles adding one tackle for loss. Reese may have had the cleaner overall game, especially after last week’s three-sack performance, as he kept showing up as an open-field tackler and continued building his case for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Styles, though, flashed the kind of playmaking that jumps off the screen. His bull-rush of Devin Singletary and his tackle of McCarthy that gave the Commanders the ball back were huge moments, the kind that remind you why his upside is so obvious.
There were rough spots, including poor placement on the touchdown by Likely, but the talent was there. Both teams should feel good about what they got from their first-round rookies.
And then there was Skattebo, who remains in a category of his own. The second-year running back returned from a hamstring injury and topped 100 scrimmage yards while scoring two touchdowns, but his personality may have been even more memorable than his stat line. He showed up at MetLife Stadium in a custom Giants-themed "Iron Man" helmet, then later locked eyes with an Amazon Prime Video camera for what may have been the funniest moment of the night.
In the first quarter, Skattebo threw up on the sideline, then quickly got back to smiling and laughing, according to the Prime Video broadcast. It wasn’t the first time that’s happened, either.
Skattebo vomited during Arizona State’s "College Football Playoff" game against Texas nearly two years ago and said that moment helped spark a Sun Devils rally. Thursday ended the same way that one did, though, with his team coming up short.
The standings still show the Giants on top at 5-3-1, with the Cowboys and Commanders chasing. Washington is still two games under .500, but the on-field picture is tighter than the record suggests. These teams can all beat each other, and the Commanders may be one boneheaded mistake away from being 2-0 against the Giants.
The Cowboys are suddenly very much in the mix, too. Washington already has the tiebreaker over New York, and the schedule ahead offers a path if the Commanders can keep hanging around. They host the Bengals next Monday night, then get the Cardinals, Titans, Texans and Falcons, all of them multiple games under .500.
If nine wins is enough in the NFC East, Washington may have too much ground to make up. If eight is enough, the door is open.
In Other News...
Luke McCaffrey Spotted A Giants Loophole The Commanders Needed
Luke McCaffrey gave the Commanders a little hidden value on special teams in the game against the Giants, and Dan Quinn noticed. On a kickoff sequence that could have been easy to overlook, McCaffrey recognized the ball was headed for a situation the NFL rules treat differently once it goes out of bounds, and he handled it in a way that helped Washington avoid a worse starting spot.
Instead of letting the moment turn into a routine dead-ball reset, McCaffreys awareness helped set the Commanders up at the 40-yard line. It was the kind of smart, situational play coaches love because it comes from understanding the fine print, and it gave Washington an extra edge in a game where every field-position advantage matters. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Rookie Sparks Concern After Strange Sideline Moment Vs Commanders
A strange sideline scene briefly stole attention from the Giants-Commanders matchup in Week 10 when rookie Cam Skattebo was seen vomiting during the game. Sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung noted the moment, and the broadcast booth of Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit also addressed it as medical staff checked on him.
Skattebo appeared to be fine afterward, and the episode did not keep him from staying involved in the game. He later found the end zone in the second quarter, turning an odd and concerning moment into just another footnote in a matchup that already had enough going on. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Win Is Fueling A Brutal Giants Postgame Debate
The Giants 24-21 loss to Washington in Week 10 has lingered well past the final whistle because of what happened on the games last two throws. Head coach John Harbaugh pointed to the defensive look Washington showed, saying the Commanders came with zero blitzes and left routes that were supposed to be available. It was the kind of late-game sequence that usually gets replayed, dissected and second-guessed, especially in a one-score finish.
J.J. McCarthy did not try to dodge the moment afterward. He took responsibility for the interception on the final possession and said he could have handled the situation differently. For Washington, the win is another line in the standings, but for the Giants it has turned into a fresh debate about execution, decision-making and whether the offense read the moment the way it needed to. [Read more 🡒]