Jayden Daniels didn’t need to make a dramatic play on the last moment—he simply helped his Washington Commanders beat the struggling New York Giants 27-22.
The impressive rookie used both his passing and running skills, along with strong support from his defense, to lead the Commanders to a 7-2 record, their best start since 1996.
Daniels threw touchdown passes to Terry McLaurin of 1 and 18 yards in the first half, and Austin Ekeler, stepping in for the injured Brian Robinson, scored on a 1-yard run. This victory allowed the Commanders to sweep the season series against the Giants (2-7).
Commanders coach Dan Quinn was worried about how his team would respond after a big emotional win against the Bears, which ended with a dramatic catch in the last second. He expressed concern about balancing recognition of that win while preparing for another important division game.
“It was like a historic win for us last week at home in the fashion it went,” Quinn said. “How do you recognize it and yet fill the tanks back up knowing you’re heading back into a division game?
I thought it showed a lot of maturity from the team and poise to say, ‘That was cool, now we got to get right back into the next process.’”
Daniels was steady throughout the game, completing 15 of 22 passes for 209 yards. He secured the victory with a 42-yard pass to Olamide Zaccheaus after New York had closed the gap to five points.
“I’m just happy for the fan base,” said Daniels, who emphasized that he is focused on taking it one game and one week at a time. “They can be so proud of the product we are putting out on the field.”
Austin Seibert, who kicked seven field goals in the Commanders’ 21-18 victory in September, added two more in this game. Linebacker Dante Fowler made a key play early on with a strip-sack that helped set up the first touchdown. The Giants have now lost four games in a row and are 0-5 at home.
“Tough game, competitive game,” said Giants coach Brian Daboll. “In the end, we just didn’t make enough plays to get the outcome we wanted.”
Daniel Jones threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Chris Manhertz and fought through two tackles for a 2-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. He also threw a late 35-yard touchdown pass to rookie Theo Johnson, but the Giants missed both of their 2-point conversion attempts.
Jude McAtamney kicked a 31-yard field goal in his NFL debut.
The Giants struggled with mistakes. Jones’ fumble during Fowler’s sack was initially ruled an incomplete pass, but Washington challenged the call and won. The play started at the Washington 29 and ended with Bobby Wagner recovering the fumble at the New York 31.
New York also missed a critical tackle on a third-and-18 late in the second quarter, which allowed a first down and led to McLaurin’s 18-yard touchdown on the next play.
Additionally, a touchdown was taken off the board due to offensive pass interference on a fourth-and-1 from the Washington 3 while the Giants were trailing 21-7.
Jones finished the game with 20 completions out of 26 attempts for 174 yards. Malik Nabers, a former teammate of Daniels at LSU, caught nine passes for 59 yards and had a brief conversation with Daniels after an incomplete pass in the fourth quarter.
Nabers didn’t share the details of their discussion but praised Daniels’ performance. “Nothing different. Leading his team to a win — he’s going to do that every time he steps on the field,” Nabers said.
