Commanders Blew a Chance for a Win in Rare Tie with Giants

In the Nation’s Capital on Sunday, the Washington Commanders blew a chance for a win in a rare tie with the New York Giants. The Commanders had multiple chances to win in the 27-27 tie, including being up 14 points in the fourth quarter. However, they allowed the Giants to come back and force overtime, then managed the clock poorly when they had a chance to seal the deal.

The Final Play 

Late in overtime, the Giants were in field goal range, but the Commanders forced a fumble to get the ball back. Jayden Daniels marched them down to the New York 24-yard line to get them in field goal range. However, with 12 seconds remaining and no timeouts, Daniels chose to keep the ball and was tackled for no gain rather than throw it out of bounds to stop the clock. Washington did not have enough time to line up and spike the ball, and the clock ran out.

Daniels Takes Blame

After the game, Daniels took the blame for the tie, stating, "We have to stop the clock. We have to know the situation. We have to relay that as an offense. It starts with everyone, top down. Ultimately, it's on me." However, Washington head coach Dan Quinn disagreed. He said, “The sequencing of that does not fall on (Daniels). It's an outside throw or a clock — an out-of-bounds throw, or a clock. That has to come from me. I have to put him in that spot. I can do that earlier, and we can finish the kick earlier. We don't need to gain more yards.”

Whoever is to blame, that bad clock management clearly cost Washington a much-needed win. They are now 1-3-1, and in the NFC East the Giants lead the division at 3-1-1 while the Eagles and Cowboys are both 2-3 and both lost in Week 5.

Final Play Ruins What Was a Solid Game for Daniels 

The last play soured a good day for Daniels, who was 17 for 25 for 199 yards with no TDs or INTs, and he rushed for 103 yards with two scoring runs of 26 yards and 38 yards. It was his first game back after missing two games with a dislocated elbow.

It Does Not Get Any Easier 

It will be tough for the Commanders to gain ground in the division in their next few games. In their next game they face the undefeated 49ers and then the Eagles and Rams. Then, after that, they head to the Big Apple to face the Giants again.