Commanders stun Giants 24–21 as Daniels finds Diggs with 57 seconds left

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Jayden Daniels threw two fourth-quarter interceptions, then threw the pass that mattered most. His 32-yard touchdown strike to Stefon Diggs with 1:05 left lifted the Washington Commanders to a 24–21 win over the New York Giants on Thursday night at MetLife Stadium, in a rematch of the teams' 27–27 tie in Week 5.

Daniels finished 23 of 33 for 249 yards and three touchdowns, with two interceptions. Diggs caught six passes for 83 yards, including the winner. Washington improved to 3–5–1; New York fell to 5–3–1 but stayed atop the NFC East.

The finish

Washington trailed 21–17 with just over a minute left, facing third-and-4 from the New York 32. Daniels found Diggs near the 30, and Diggs beat a diving defender and sprinted down the sideline untouched into the end zone. The three-play, 71-yard drive took 49 seconds, and Drew Stevens' extra point made it 24–21 with 57 seconds left.

The Giants nearly stole it back. Gregory Desrosiers fumbled the kickoff return, but New York recovered its own fumble, and J.J. McCarthy moved the Giants to the Washington 48 with a 21-yard completion to Malachi Fields. On third-and-10 with 34 seconds left, McCarthy's pass was intercepted by Rasul Douglas at the Washington 48.

Daniels took three kneel-downs to run out the clock. A late unnecessary-roughness penalty on New York moved Washington to its own 25 for the final kneel, and the Commanders closed out a win that, for most of the fourth quarter, had looked lost.

Two picks, then the winner

Daniels had not thrown an interception all season before Thursday. He threw two in the fourth quarter — the first to safety Jevon Holland with 5:27 left, with Washington driving and trailing by four, and the second to Ar'Darius Washington later in the quarter. New York scored no points off either takeaway.

Daniels also ran 10 times for 28 yards. His three touchdown passes went to three different receivers — Ben Sinnott, Antonio Williams and Diggs — and the last one came on a night when Washington played without Terry McLaurin, who is out for the season.

Skattebo and Likely carried New York

Cam Skattebo, back after missing a game with a hamstring injury, ran 18 times for 78 yards and two touchdowns and caught three passes for 44 yards. Isaiah Likely caught nine passes for 127 yards, including a 66-yard touchdown.

McCarthy, making his first start as a Giant with Jaxson Dart out for the season, completed 23 of 36 passes for 293 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. He also ran six times for 34 yards. Malik Nabers caught five passes for 44 yards but lost a fumble in the red zone late in the third quarter, forced by Frankie Luvu, that stopped a New York drive.

How they got there

Severe weather had cleared the seating bowl at MetLife Stadium before kickoff, and the first quarter was scoreless in the mist and rain. New York rookie kicker Dominic Zvada missed a 33-yard field goal, wide left — his third miss against Washington in two meetings after going 2-for-5 in the Week 5 tie. Washington opened the scoring early in the second quarter on Drew Stevens' 46-yard field goal, after a circus catch by Treylon Burks was overturned on review.

New York answered with a 16-play, 72-yard drive that lasted almost eight minutes, capped by Skattebo's 1-yard plunge and a backflip. Washington took a 10–7 lead into halftime when Daniels found Sinnott for a 1-yard touchdown in the final seconds of the half, finishing a nine-play, 67-yard drive.

Skattebo scored again on New York's first drive of the second half, a 13-yard run that made it 14–10. Washington answered in six plays and 77 yards, with rookie Antonio Williams taking a 31-yard catch-and-run to the end zone for his second career touchdown. The Commanders led 17–14 after three quarters.

McCarthy put New York back in front with 8:24 left, finding Likely on a crossing route for a 66-yard touchdown. The Giants led 21–17 — and then the fourth quarter turned chaotic.

Scoring summary

The rematch

The teams met in Week 5 in Washington and played to a 27–27 overtime tie. The Commanders led by 14 points in the fourth quarter before Jameis Winston led New York back, and the game ended in bizarre fashion: Skattebo fumbled at the Washington 24 in overtime, and Daniels, in field-goal range with no timeouts, ran the ball instead of throwing it away and was tackled as the clock expired.

Since then, Washington has lost McLaurin and defensive tackles Daron Payne and Tim Settle for the season with injuries. New York, meanwhile, has surged to the top of the NFC East under head coach John Harbaugh despite losing Dart for the season. Thursday's win was Washington's answer — five weeks later, in the same matchup, decided in the final minute.

By the numbers

New York outgained Washington 399 yards to 340, but Washington held the ball for 34:04 to New York's 25:56. The Commanders were 7 of 14 on third down; the Giants were 4 of 12. Each team turned the ball over twice, and New York was flagged six times for 62 yards to Washington's four for 17. Linebacker Sonny Styles led Washington with 13 tackles, and Jeremy Reaves had nine tackles and a fumble recovery.

What it means

The win keeps Washington's postseason hopes alive at 3–5–1. The Giants fell to 5–3–1 but stayed in first place in the NFC East, ahead of Dallas at 4–5.