Today’s Washington Commanders win didn’t have the magic of a Hail Mary touchdown at the end of the game or the tension of a back-and-forth contest, but it was a physical game that resulted in a 27-22 win against division rival New York Giants in MetLife Stadium.
With a season sweep against the Giants, the Commanders improve their current record to 7-2 and their division record to 2-0 as they lead the NFC East going into the 10th week of the season.
The Giants game plan going into the game appeared to be keeping rookie phenom Jayden Daniels and the Commanders off the field and shorten the game by running the ball with rookie Tyrone Tracy, Jr., and some designed and impromptu runs by quarterback Daniel Jones.
However, Jones made the first major mistake of the game. Dante Fowler, Jr. hit Jones as he tried to throw short to running back Devon Singletary. Despite the blown whistle, Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner picked up the ball and ran to the end zone.
After Commanders head coach Dan Quinn challenged the call, it was reviewed and called a fumble. The Commanders offense had the ball at the New York 31-yard line. After a 22-yard pass interference penalty in the end zone by Giants defender Cor’Dale Flott against tight end Noah Brown, Daniels threw a pinpoint pass to Terry McLaurin on a 1-yard slant play into the end zone.
Down by 7, the Giants returned to pounding the ball down the field with Tracy and Singletary while Jones scrambled for a 16-play, 73-yard drive taking nearly 10 minutes and moving the game quickly into the 2nd quarter.
Despite the absence of Brian Robinson, Jr., Daniels and the Commanders responded in much the same manner behind the powerful legs of Austin Ekeler, who ran for 42 years on 11 carries and caught 3 passes for 41 yards during the game. Ekeler plowed up the middle for one yard and a touchdown to cap an 11 play, 70-yard drive taking up 6 minutes and giving the Commanders a 14-7 lead with less than 7 minutes left in the half. The Giants went three plays and out, punting to the Commanders, who took over at their own 13 yard line with 5:19 remaining in the half.
This time, it was Jeremy McNichols, Ekeler and Daniels running down field, a 31-yard sideline pass to Noah Brown that Daniels made look easy and a short pass to Dyami Brown who turned the catch into a 24-yard gain. At the Giants 18-yard line, Daniels finished off the 12-play, 87 yard drive with a perfectly placed pass to McLaurin in the end zone for a 21-7 lead and six seconds left at the half.
The third quarter was an exchange of field goals. For the Giants, a drive could have ended early from a turnover on downs or a touchdown. On 4th and 2, Jones threw short to rookie Malik Nabers who caught the ball at the first down line but was immediately hit and tackled behind the first down marker. The referee, however, gave Nabers a questionable call of forward progress and a first down.
Later in the drive, on 4th and 1 at the Washington 3 yard line, it appeared Jones threw a touchdown pass to Wan’Dale Robinson but another questionable call against Darius Slayton for interfering with defenders in the end zone nullified the touchdown and brought the ball back to the 11-yard line leaving the Giants with the only viable option of a field goal.
Slayton suffered a concussion during the game and is now in concussion protocol. His status for next week against the Carolina Panthers in Munich, Germany, is seriously in question.
For the Commanders, they entered the fourth quarter up 24-10 as the Giants were moving down the field on a 13-play, 80-yard drive that resulted in Jones using his legs and his will for a touchdown. But Jones could not will his legs to rush for a 2-point conversion and the Commanders were up 24-16 with 9:25 remaining in regulation.
Daniels is likely beyond taking anymore “tests” this season to show that he can lead the Commanders offense to victory in pressure situations but if the fourth quarter was a test, the rookie again passed with flying colors. Daniels took the Commanders on an 11-play, 63-yard drive leading to another Austin Seibert field goal and a 27-16 lead. The drive included a key 28-yard catch and run by Ekeler on 3rd and 9 at the Washington 36-yard line.
The majority of the game consisted of long drives, pounding runs and key plays but when the Giants received the ball at their on 26-yard line with 3:49 remaining, it only took Jones 58 seconds to drive the ball 74 yards, including a 9-yard completion to Nabers, a 15-yard pass to Theo Johnson to the 50 yard line and a pass interference penalty on Mike Sainristill for 15-yards. On 2nd down at the Washington 35 yard line, Jones found Johnson open over the middle for a touchdown to make the score 27-22 with three timeouts remaining. The two-point conversion failed as Jones was sacked after failing to find any open receivers in the end zone.
Giants head coach Brian Daboll let the clock run as the Commanders ran the ball on first down with 2:48 remaining and after Daniels hit a wide open Olamide Zacchaeus for 42 yards to the Giants 27 yard line. The clock ticked down to the two-minute warning.
This time, it was the Commanders pounding the Giants defensive line as Chris Rodriguez, Jr., ran for 4 yards. A Giants penalty—a 15-yard face mask penalty—took the ball to the Giants 11-yard line. On 3d and 1, Rodriguez made the first down at the Giants 1-yard line and without the ability to stop the clock, time ran out for the Giants. Daniels knelt on the ball, the Commanders ended the game in victory position and earned the best record for the Washington team since 1996.
Each game is a step to the next one and the physicality of this game against the Giants, a division opponent, can only help the Commanders prepare for their next opponent—the Pittsburgh Steelers next Sunday at Northwest Stadium.
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