It is the little things that make a difference in a game between winning and losing. After the New York Giants scored a touchdown to give them a 21-17 lead against the Washington Commanders in the fourth quarter on Thursday night, Luke McCaffrey made a smart decision on the ensuing kickoff.
Giants rookie kicker Dominic Zvada kicked it close to the sideline. So, McCaffrey made the decision to step out of bounds before catching the ball. Doing so gave Washington the ball at their own 40-yard line instead of being backed up inside their own five-yard line.
High IQ play by #Commanders KR Luke McCaffrey, which the broadcast barely acknowledged. If a kickoff returner steps out of bounds and then touches the ball, the kick is ruled out of bounds. Washington
gets the ball at the 40-yard line: pic.twitter.com/QEs4Y26OdW
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 13, 2026
Ultimately, it didn’t make a significant difference because Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels threw an interception on that drive. But it was not New York’s only special teams miscue of the night.
After Daniels’ second interception, the Giants got the ball at the Commanders 46-yard line. New York ended up going three-and-out on the play, only taking 29 seconds off the clock as Washington used their timeouts to preserve time. The Giants should have been able to pin the Commanders deep in their own territory. Instead, their punter shanked it and only had a 12-yard punt to give Washington the ball at their own 29-yard line.
Daniels would ultimately lead the game-winning touchdown drive to get the Commanders to 3-5-1. They will be looking to build on this momentum when they face the Cincinnati Bengals next week on Monday Night Football.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Luke McCaffrey makes high IQ play in Commanders' win vs Giants
