The Washington Commanders gave the New York Giants the ball twice in the final six minutes. Both times, New York had an interception and a chance to put the game away. They couldn't get a first down on either possession.

That gave Jayden Daniels one more chance. He found Stefon Diggs for a 32-yard touchdown with 57 seconds left, and Rasul Douglas intercepted J.J. McCarthy to seal the Commanders’ 24–21 win Thursday night at MetLife Stadium. Washington now sits at 3–5–1, two games behind the first-place Giants in the NFC East, with the Bengals coming to town for Monday Night Football in Week 11.

The first meeting with the Giants ended in a 27–27 tie after Washington blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead. This time, the Commanders lost the lead and still found a way back. Here’s who helped, and what nearly cost them.

Winners

Sonny Styles

Sonny Styles didn’t wait until the fourth quarter to announce himself. Early in the first, he ran through Devin Singletary as McCarthy rolled away and threw it away on third-and-seven. It was the kind of play that makes a quarterback check where No. 52 is lined up before the next snap.

He finished with a team-high 13 tackles, but his most valuable work came after Daniels’ interceptions. With New York backed up at its 11, Styles and Deatrich Wise stopped Jameis Winston’s third-and-one sneak. Washington challenged the original first-down ruling, won, and the Giants eventually punted after Winston played the funny-man role again, trying to draw them offsides with his cadence. Following the second pick, Styles dropped McCarthy for a two-yard loss on third-and-three. That stop resulted in Daniels getting the ball at his own 29 with 1:46 left.

Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese just put on an absolute LB MASTERCLASS on primetime.

The two rookie LB’s combined for 26 total tackles, 8 stops, and 4 QB hurries 😳🤯 pic.twitter.com/3s2dZ1jzQp

— Rookie Watch (@RookieWatxh) November 13, 2026

Stefon Diggs

A week ago, I was asking where Stefon Diggs was while Washington struggled to find receivers against the Rams. There was no such mystery Thursday. He caught six passes for 83 yards, including a 30-yarder at the two-minute warning in the first half that helped set up Ben Sinnott’s touchdown.

The last catch was the one Washington signed him to make. On third-and-four from the Giants’ 32, Diggs beat his man at the line, Daniels found him, and Washington had the lead with 57 seconds left. Ten targets for the night, and a winning touchdown after the offense had wasted two chances to take control.

JAYDEN DANIELS FINDS STEFON DIGGS TO TAKE THE LEAD 🤯

DIGGS AFTER SCORING: “I’M LIKE THAT!” 🔥

(Via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/FX8PIHEvNb

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 13, 2026

Ben Sinnott

Sinnott entered Thursday with one catch all season. He caught four passes on four targets for 42 yards and a touchdown against New York, giving Daniels an answer at tight end that Washington hasn’t had often enough.

His 12-yard catch moved the Commanders to the Giants’ 15 late in the first half. A few plays later, on third-and-goal from the 1, Daniels found him for the touchdown that sent Washington into halftime ahead 10–7. Sinnott then opened the third-quarter touchdown drive with a 24-yard reception.

Chig Okonkwo briefly left the game, but Sinnott had already caught a pass before that happened. When I spoke with Vernon Davis about the different roles in Washington’s tight end room, the question was how to get more out of the group as receivers. Sinnott gave the coaches a pretty good answer.

Antonio Williams

Two targets. Two catches. Forty-two yards and a touchdown. Williams didn’t need much time to change the game, though he probably shouldn’t have had to wait until the third quarter for his first opportunity.

On third-and-one at the Giants’ 31, Daniels put the ball in his hands and Williams scored to give Washington a 17–14 lead. His other catch gained 11 yards on the possession after New York went back ahead in the fourth. That drive ended with an interception, but the receiver had done his part.

I’ve been arguing that Williams needs a larger role with Terry McLaurin out. Thursday offered another example. If his first target can turn a third-and-one into a 31-yard touchdown, why does it take so long to get him involved?

Jayden Daniels

Putting Daniels on the winning side isn’t difficult if you look at the result: 23 completions on 33 attempts, 249 passing yards and three touchdowns, plus 28 yards on the ground. He gave Washington the lead three different times. The last one came after the Giants had every reason to think they were done giving him chances.

But he nearly ended this game himself. Daniels threw his first interception of the season from the Giants’ 24 with 5:31 remaining, targeting Okonkwo and putting the ball inside where Jevón Holland could take it at the 2. On Washington’s next possession, he forced a fourth-and-two throw toward Okonkwo that Ar’Darius Washington intercepted near midfield. Those were consecutive drives, with the game on the line.

On the final possession, a 33-yard pass-interference penalty on a throw toward Treylon Burks moved Washington into Giants territory. Daniels scrambled for a yard, hit Austin Ekeler for five and found Diggs on third down. He made the final answer count. That doesn’t excuse the two decisions that almost kept him from getting that opportunity.

"Just trusting in the process. Just the consistency day in and day out. ... Can't really focus on the outcome, you just gotta stick to the process."

Commanders QB Jayden Daniels joins @notthefakeSVP and speaks on the key to keeping the team together and battling each week 🏈 pic.twitter.com/JYwub4RcWQ

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 13, 2026

Odafe Oweh and Nick Cross

Odafe Oweh had Washington’s only sack, getting to McCarthy for a 10-yard loss on third-and-nine in the second quarter. Nick Cross came on the blitz and helped push McCarthy toward him. The Giants punted. Cross finished with six tackles, a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit, and likely could have had a sack to go with his quarterback hurry, but he let up before hitting McCarthy on the play that produced Isaiah Likely’s 66-yard touchdown.

We’ve seen Daronte Jones move Cross around the secondary and toward the line of scrimmage. Oweh gets the sack in the book, but Cross showed why Jones keeps sending him toward the quarterback.

Odafe Oweh is up to 5 sacks on the season. This one was schemed up via the Nick Cross blitz. pic.twitter.com/GHcIU0b3l2

— Grant Paulsen (@GrantPaulsen) November 13, 2026

Frankie Luvu and Jeremy Reaves

The Giants reached Washington’s 16 late in the third quarter, trailing 17–14. Malik Nabers had the ball, and New York was in position to at least tie the game. Luvu punched it out. Reaves recovered at the 20.

Reaves also had nine tackles and broke up a pass on New York’s final possession. Washington’s offense went three-and-out after the recovery. It wasted the takeaway, but Luvu and Reaves had already kept points off the board.

Rasul Douglas

Even after Diggs scored, New York got as far as Washington’s 48. Douglas ended the conversation there, intercepting McCarthy’s third-and-10 throw intended for Nabers with 34 seconds left.

He didn’t need a tackle to make the most important defensive play on the final possession. Diggs gave Washington the lead; Douglas made sure it survived.

Losers

Brandon Coleman

Another false start for Coleman, his sixth this season. That’s tied for the second most in the NFL through Thursday. This one came on Washington’s opening possession, turning second-and-seven at its own 21 into second-and-12 at the 16. Diggs gained four yards on the next play, Rachaad White couldn’t hold a screen on third-and-eight, and the Commanders punted.

Coleman’s flag didn’t cause the drop. It turned a manageable second down into third-and-eight after Diggs’ catch. The Commanders had only four accepted penalties for 17 yards Thursday; this is about the same pre-snap mistake showing up again from the same player.

David Blough’s Fourth-Down Answers

Washington went 0-for-2 on fourth down. The first failure came at the Giants’ 31 with 9:09 left and the Commanders ahead 17–14. White had carries of 18 and six yards on that drive, but a two-yard completion on third-and-four left them with a fourth-and-two to deal with. Washington lined up five wide, removing the run threat on a short-yardage snap. Daniels tried Diggs, and Ar’Darius Washington broke up the pass. Three plays later, Likely was in the end zone and the Giants had the lead. Dan Quinn owns the decision to go for it; Blough owns the answer Washington offered once it did.

The second came with 2:19 left. White lost a yard on third-and-one at Washington’s 46, and Daniels was intercepted trying to find Okonkwo on fourth-and-two from the 45. The throw belongs to Daniels. The offense needed one yard to move the chains and lost possession two snaps later.

Washington’s Coverage of Isaiah Likely

This shouldn’t have been a surprise. Likely caught two touchdowns in the first meeting, including one on fourth-and-eight. On Thursday he caught nine of 11 targets for 127 yards, and his 66-yard touchdown on third-and-seven put the Giants ahead in the fourth quarter.

Isaiah Likely was creating problems for Washington's defense all night.

9 REC, 127 YDS, 1 TD, 11 TGT vs Commanders.

His connection with J.J. McCarthy was one of the biggest positives for New York. pic.twitter.com/FV1spG72fC

— Football Performances (@NFLPerformances) November 13, 2026

Washington held New York to four conversions on 12 third downs and made the late plays that won the game. But Likely kept finding room, and his third-down touchdown was the biggest play of New York’s night. Jones’ defense finished; it still has to account for why the same tight end hurt it so badly in both meetings.

Washington went from a tie it had no business settling for to a win it very nearly gave away. Neither result is a comfortable blueprint. The difference Thursday was that its best players made the late plays the situation required. At 3–5–1, the Commanders will need that again, and fewer reasons to ask for it.

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