The Commanders certainly needed that.
Washington got a massive 24-21 victory over the New York Giants on Thursday night that essentially saved their season, keeping the Commanders in the NFC East. A loss would’ve been devastating.
That win at MetLife Stadium gave them a glimmer of hope. What they do with it remains to be seen, but this game brought some positivity back to Washington after finally coming through in the clutch.
This one was all about resilience and character in an imperfect game with
several big mistakes, but the Commanders never stopped pushing. Not after Jayden Daniels through two fourth-quarter interceptions. Not after the defense gave up Isaiah LIkely’s explosive touchdown.
Jayden Daniels kept throwing. Daronte Jones kept sending pressure.
This was the four-quarter game Dan Quinn has been questing for. It was imperfect to say the least, but Washington seemed to understand the moment and never, ever stopped swinging. To see that type of fight in this massive moment, after all the adversity faced, was impressive.
Let’s take a deeper dive into the Commanders performance in this Week 10 report card:
Rushing offense
I was fairly critical of the Commanders running game in the takeaways article. I don’t take that back. This running game is not revving at the right RPM, with a blocking issue preventing efficiency in the operation.
The Commanders averaged 3.2 yards per carry, and that included an explosive Rachaad White that makes his stats look better than they were. Even Jayden Daniels isn’t getting loose on scrambles – NYG seemed committed to keeping him in the pocket – or designed runs that have been increasingly rare this season.
Coordinator David Blough’s commitment to it was impressive, with 33 carries equal to the number of pass attempts. That helps the playaction passing game and defensive honesty, which was smart. If Washington can get back to 4ish yards per carry in this season, they’ll be feeling good. That didn’t happen on this night.
Grade: D
Passing offense
Jayden Daniels hadn’t thrown and interception all season. Then he through two over four pass attempts. Late in the fourth quarter. With the game on the line. The quarterback got the ball back and made the most of it, with a dagger 31-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs with a minute left that won it. Daniels completed 23-of-33 passes for 249 yards and those two picks for a 96.7 rating.
A beleaguered offensive line was good in pass protection. Like, really good.
Washington got vital contributions from Diggs and tight end Ben Sinnott. Diggs led the team with six catches for 83 yards and that huge score. Sinnott had four catches for 42 yards and a score despite having just one previous catch all season. The protection factor can’t be ignored. Neither can the two picks. The passing game needed some defensive help, but it came through at the end of the half and most importantly, at the end of the game.
Grade: B-plus
Rushing defense
Cam Skattebo is a crazy person, in a super fun way. He was motivated in this one, and had 78 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. J.J. McCarthy averaged 5.7 yards per carry and had some big runs. That’s not ideal. So are the 4.3 yards per carry.
Then there was that had-to-have it third-and-1 in the fourth quarter, when Deatrich Wise and the crew shut a quarterback sneak down when they had to have it. Same with Sonny Styles, tackling McCarthy for a loss on a key third down late.
That’s worth something, too.
Grade: B-minus
Passing defense
The pass rush was active as heck. Maybe not with a four-man rush, but the blitz was largely effective, especially with Nick Cross and Jeremy Reaves coming in from the backfield. Sonny Styles and Frankie Luvu came a ton, too. Luvu got a huge forced fumble that produced a takeaway.
The nine catches and 127 yards to tight end Isaiah Likely isn’t great. The Commanders handled Malik Nabers relatively well. Rasul Douglas called game with that fourth-quarter interception. The Commanders brought it, and stood tall when it mattered most.
The Commanders had just one sack but hit McCarthy six times and forced errant throws. They were relentless in pursuit of the quarterback.
Grade: A-minus
Special teams
It won’t show up in the stat sheet, but Luke McCaffrey’s head’s up play to give Washington the ball at the 40 was such a baller move, a sky-high football IQ play that was crucial to a late-game effort. Drew Stevens made a field goal and vital extra points.
Tress Way had a 49.0-yard net punt average and Percy Butler nearly ended the game with a ball punched free on that last Giants kick return. Washington just didn’t recover it.
Grade: A-minus
Coaching
We’ve passed out lots of Fs in this category. Not tonight. Defensive coordinator Darone Jones gets a game ball after sending relentless pressure even after allowing some explosives. The game plan was sound and so were the play calls.
David Blough wasn’t quite as strong – going to the well one too many times led to Daniels’ second pick – but the Commanders got the job done.
Also, Dan Quinn gets some kudos. His challenge on third-and-short was vital. He managed to keep his team together despite great adversity and got them to perform well under pressure.
The Commanders had to win this one, and they got one. Quinn deserves credit for that. Jones deserves a game ball.
Grade: A
How would you grade each phase of the Commanders’ game in a huge win over the Giants? Let us know in the comments below:
