The Washington Commanders took down the New York Giants 24-21 in their ninth game of the season at MetLife Stadium. It was their second straight division win, improving their record to 3-5-1, putting them just two games behind the Giants and giving them the tiebreaker.
This started out as a defense-dominated game with a score of 10-7 at halftime. Washington scored first with a field goal following an 11-play drive in the second quarter. However, the Giants had the first touchdown on a 16-play, 72-yard drive that took nearly eight minutes. The Commanders responded with a touchdown of their own just before halftime when quarterback Jayden Daniels connected with Ben Sinnott for his first touchdown of the season on third-and-goal.
Washington started
the second half with a three-and-out, while the Giants were able to get a touchdown on their first drive of the second half, giving them a 14-10 lead. Again, the Commanders came right back with a touchdown of their own to regain the lead. On New York’s subsequent drive, the defense forced a fumble from wide receiver Malik Nabers for the game’s first turnover. Washington took a 17-14 lead into the fourth quarter.
Things fell apart for the Commanders a bit in the fourth quarter. Their first three drives of the quarter ended in a turnover on downs and two interceptions from Daniels. New York was not able to capitalize on either of the picks, but they did score a touchdown after the turnover on downs to give the Giants a 21-17 lead.
With their season on the line, Washington got the ball back with 1:46 left in the game. They had decent field position at New York’s 29-yard line after the Giants had a 14-yard punt. Wide receiver Treylon Burks was able to draw a 33-yard pass interference penalty to get the Commanders inside Giants territory. Three plays later, Daniels connected with Stefon Diggs for a 32-yard touchdown to give Washington a 24-21 lead with under a minute left in the game.
New York had one final chance to send this game to overtime or win the game. They had all three timeouts to work with and got inside of Washington territory. However, on third and 10, Giants’ quarterback J.J. McCarthy tried to force it downfield and the Commanders made him pay with an interception from Rasul Douglas to seal the 24-21 victory.
Play of the Game
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When he caught the ball, it initially looked like he would be tackled shortly after picking up the first down. However, as soon as he broke away from the Giants’ defenders, no one was left to stop him, and he easily scored. This touchdown kept Washington’s season alive, as a loss in this game would have essentially doomed their season.
Numbers to know
- 7/14: Throughout the first eight games of the season, the Washington Commanders have struggled to convert on third down. However, that was not a problem in this game. In fact, their ability to convert 50 percent of their third-down attempts in this game was a weapon against the Giants. If they can keep up this third-down efficiency, the Commanders could realistically find themselves in the playoffs.
- 2: Each team had two turnovers in this game. New York was not able to capitalize on Washington’s turnovers, but the takeaways proved to be critical in this game for the Commanders. The first takeaway stopped the Giants from potentially scoring and the second takeaway sealed the game for Washington. Their defense needed to get some takeaways in this game for the Commanders to win and that is exactly what they did.
- 4: Washington has struggled with penalties all season. However, in this game, they had a season-low four penalties for just 17 yards. Finally, the Commanders were able to go a whole 60 minutes without shooting themselves in the foot with unnecessary penalties. This is what winning football looks like and if Washington can play like this more, they could string together some wins.
Game balls
- QB Jayden Daniels: This has not been a great season for Daniels, who had yet to throw for more than two touchdowns in a game and missed time with his elbow injury. He also had two interceptions in the fourth quarter, which could have been costly for Washington. However, he bounced back on the final drive to lead the Commanders to their third victory of the season and keep their playoff chances alive.
- TE Ben Sinnott: When Chig Okonkwo had to exit with an injury, Ben Sinnott stepped up and played well for Washington’s offense. His hurdle may have been one of the most impressive of the season, and his touchdown was impressive, too. Maybe he will get more offensive snaps in the second half of the season.
- CB Rasul Douglas: Defensively, the Commanders needed takeaways if they were going to win this game. With a different corner in coverage, McCarthy’s shot downfield easily could have been completed to give the Giants a chance to win with a touchdown or force overtime with a field goal. However, Douglas had perfect coverage on the play and after dropping an earlier touchdown, he sealed the victory for the Commanders.
What’s next
After defeating the Giants and getting within two games in the NFC East race, the Washington Commanders now have a mini-bye ahead of their game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football. The Commanders will be looking to win back-to-back games for the first time this season.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Instant analysis of the Commanders' win against the New York Giants
