The Giants gave the Commanders a gift in overtime of Sunday’s game in Washington and immediately returned it. Instead of taking a knee and working the clock to attempt a game-winning field goal with the Commanders out of timeouts after the two-minute overtime warning, Giants head coach John Harbaugh opted to hand the ball to Cam Skattebo on a first down from the Washington 24-yard line. Skattebo fumbled and the Commanders recovered for a chance to win the game. They took advantage with Jayden Daniels completing two passes for 29 yards and rushing for 16 yards on a drive that moved to the Giants’ 24-yard line in the final minute. The Commanders only needed to spike the ball to stop the clock and attempt a field goal, but Daniels instead took a snap and danced before being stopped for no gain and time ran out before the Commanders could make another snap. The result was a 27-27 tie that should feel like a loss for both teams and both head coaches, given how their decisions played into the end. Commanders head coach Dan Quinn not only botched the final play, but also watched his team blow a 14-point fourth-quarter lead after stifling the Giants’ offense all afternoon. Jameis Winston threw three touchdown passes in the final 15:44 of regulation and the Commanders punted on their final two possessions. The Commanders elected to start in overtime and forced a Dominic Zvada field goal attempt from 46 yards out. Zvada missed for the third time of the afternoon, but the Commanders punted on their first possession of the extra session. Daniels ended the game on a wild play, but looked good in his return from a dislocated left elbow for about 50 minutes of play. He had touchdown runs of 38 and 26 yards while picking up 103 rushing yards on the day and moved the Commanders pretty consistently until they ran out of wind down the stretch. Winston lost a fumble and struggled until he caught fire late. He had two touchdowns to tight end Isaiah Likely and tied the game with a strike to Malik Nabers. He was 33 of 54 for 326 yards, but the Giants experimented with using JJ McCarthy at the points early in the game. McCarthy ran twice for two yards, turned the ball over and threw a quick pass for a five-yard loss that was negated by a penalty. The result leaves Washington with a 1-3-1 record and they will be on the road against the 49ers on Monday night in Week 6. The tie ends a two-game winning streak for the Giants and the 3-1-1 team will host the Saints next weekend.
