The Washington Commanders let a late opportunity to beat the New York Giants slip away Sunday in Landover, settling for a 27-27 overtime tie after a costly final sequence prevented Drew Stevens from attempting a potential game-winning field goal.
Washington had reached the Giants’ 24-yard line with roughly 50 seconds remaining in overtime and no timeouts available to either team. After quarterback Jayden Daniels went down on a designed attempt to gain additional yardage, the Commanders could not get another snap off before time expired.
Head coach Dan Quinn took responsibility for the decision, which came after Washington had already surrendered a 14-point fourth-quarter advantage.
“I’m gutted for our team,” Quinn said. “That is the hardest part.”
Final overtime possession ends without a kick
The Commanders recovered a Giants fumble with under two minutes remaining in the extra period and quickly moved into range. Terry McLaurin opened the drive with a 16-yard reception, followed by a 6-yard catch from Antonio Williams. Daniels then scrambled for 16 yards before Treylon Burks added a 13-yard reception.
Rachaad White gained two yards on the next rush, leaving Washington with second-and-8 from the New York 24. With the clock continuing to run and approximately 50 seconds left, the Commanders huddled and slowly approached the line.
Rather than immediately stopping the clock with an incompletion or setting up Stevens, Daniels took the snap with 12 seconds left. He searched for running room, went to the ground with about eight seconds remaining and was unable to get back up quickly enough for Washington to run another play.
White tried to help his quarterback to his feet, while tight end John Bates waved teammates toward the line of scrimmage. Daniels rose only in the final seconds, and the clock ran out before the Commanders could spike the ball or attempt a field goal.
Giants linebacker Abdul Carter said New York initially expected Washington to get another play away.
“I thought they were going to get a snap,” Carter said. “Then I saw they were still on the ground, and I knew it was over.”
Quinn accepts blame for late call
Quinn said the offense did not need to seek more yardage after reaching field-goal range. He said the responsibility for the play sequence belonged to him, not Daniels.
“The sequencing is not on him,” Quinn said. “It needed to be an outside throw or a clock-stopping situation, and that has to come from me. We did not need additional yards.”
Several Commanders players declined to offer detailed explanations about the call, saying they were executing the personnel package and play sent in from the sideline. Tight end Ben Sinnott said Washington used 13 personnel, with one running back and three tight ends, before declining to address whether he knew the team had no timeouts remaining.
Left tackle Brandon Coleman said the offense needed to execute whatever was called and remain aligned on the situation. Center Lucas Patrick directed questions about the final play to Quinn.
Left guard Chris Paul said the situation had been communicated in the huddle. White defended Daniels’ effort to get up after the tackle but acknowledged the disappointing result.
“The play was the play,” White said. “Coach called it. It hurts, obviously. A tie is not a win to me.”
Missed opportunities leave Washington at 1-3-1
The final overtime error capped a game in which Washington had multiple opportunities to put away New York. The Commanders committed several penalties in the red zone during the first quarter, then allowed the Giants to score twice in the fourth quarter and erase a 14-point deficit.
Daniels said the offense and the full team must improve in key moments.
“We have to be better in situational football,” Daniels said. “It begins with me. Everybody will say it, but we have to improve.”
McLaurin called the ending unacceptable for the offense.
The tie denied Washington a chance to capitalize on losses by the Dallas Cowboys to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday and the Philadelphia Eagles to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. Instead of moving closer in the NFC East race, the Commanders remain last in the division at 1-3-1, two games behind the 3-1-1 Giants.
