Giants erase 14-point fourth-quarter deficit, finish tied 27-27 with Commanders

Washington struck fast and kept finding room on the ground

Washington did not need a high-volume passing day to take control. Jacory Croskey-Merritt opened the scoring with a 33-yard touchdown run just two minutes into the game, and although the extra point missed, the Commanders kept building with Drew Stevens field goals from 28 and 40 yards in the second quarter. By the time Dominic Zvada answered with a 56-yarder early in the third, Washington already had the game moving at its preferred pace: fewer snaps, but bigger gains on the ground.

The Commanders finished with 181 rushing yards on 27 carries, a sharp 6.7-yard average that shaped the entire afternoon. Jayden Daniels ran eight times for 87 yards and two touchdowns, including a 38-yard score midway through the third quarter and a 26-yard touchdown early in the fourth. That second Daniels touchdown became even more important when Washington added a two-point conversion on Daniels' pass to Terry McLaurin, stretching the lead to 27-13 with 11:05 remaining.

That margin existed despite modest passing numbers. Daniels completed 12 of 19 throws for 149 yards, with Chig Okonkwo leading the receivers at 60 yards and McLaurin adding 46 on three catches. Washington also protected the ball all day, finishing without a turnover. Even with four sacks allowed, the Commanders kept returning to the part of their offence that was working best, and three touchdown runs of 26 yards or longer gave them a cushion big enough to survive New York's late push.

Winston turned possession and volume into a late rally

The Giants had more of the ball, more first downs and more total plays, but for most of the game they were chasing points rather than dictating them. New York held possession for 35:39, ran 75 plays and posted 26 first downs, yet its first three scoring drives produced only Zvada field goals from 51 and 56 yards. A lost Winston fumble also cost the Giants one of their 12 drives, and Zvada's final line of 2-for-4 on field goals left little margin in a game that eventually finished level.

What kept New York alive was Winston's willingness to keep throwing and the production he found from Isaiah Likely and Malik Nabers. Winston completed 30 of 49 passes for 292 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Likely caught 11 passes for 94 yards and two touchdowns, while Nabers added eight receptions for 87 yards and the tying score. After Daniels' 38-yard touchdown run pushed Washington ahead 19-6, Winston answered late in the third with a three-yard scoring pass to Likely to cut the deficit to six.

When Washington extended the lead back to 14 early in the fourth, the Giants finally found the finishing touch that had been missing. Likely scored again on a 17-yard reception from Winston with 7:20 left, and Nabers tied it on another 17-yard touchdown catch at 1:43. New York was perfect in the red zone at 3-for-3, and the comeback came almost entirely through the air because the running game never gained traction. The Giants managed only 70 rushing yards on 24 attempts, with no back reaching 30 yards. Theo Johnson's two catches for 35 yards offered useful support, and the return game was busy as well, but the day clearly turned on Winston's passing volume.

Our take: a tie that exposed what each side still lacks

This was a tie built on contrast. Washington was the more efficient offence on a per-play basis, averaging 6.1 yards to New York's 4.5, and its rushing attack produced the most decisive plays of the afternoon. The Giants, by comparison, needed persistence and sheer volume to recover. Their 75 plays, 26 first downs and long edge in possession show how often they moved the ball; their 2.9 yards per rush and two missed field goals show why they spent so much of the day playing from behind.

For Washington, the encouraging number is 181 rushing yards; the caution flag is everything around it. The Commanders converted only four third downs and completed only 12 passes, which left the offence with less room for error once New York's passing game caught fire. For the Giants, the late rally underlined the value of the Winston-Likely-Nabers connection, but it also pointed back to the same problems that kept the comeback necessary in the first place: an ineffective ground game and points left behind earlier in the afternoon. A scoreless overtime preserved the draw, but neither side left with a clean case that its offence is complete.

Scoring moments

1. Period 1 · 13:00

   Jacory Croskey-Merritt 33 Yd Rush (Drew Stevens PAT Failed)

2. Period 1 · 0:55

   Dominic Zvada 51 Yd Field Goal

3. Period 2 · 8:57

   Drew Stevens 28 Yd Field Goal

4. Period 2 · 1:02

   Drew Stevens 40 Yd Field Goal

5. Period 3 · 10:54

   Dominic Zvada 56 Yd Field Goal

6. Period 3 · 7:47

   Jayden Daniels 38 Yd Rush (Drew Stevens Kick)

7. Period 3 · 0:44

   Isaiah Likely 3 Yd pass from Jameis Winston (Dominic Zvada Kick)

8. Period 4 · 11:05

   Jayden Daniels 26 Yd Rush (Jayden Daniels Pass to Terry McLaurin for Two-Point Conversion)

9. Period 4 · 7:20

   Isaiah Likely 17 Yd pass from Jameis Winston (Dominic Zvada Kick)

10. Period 4 · 1:43

    Malik Nabers 17 Yd pass from Jameis Winston (Dominic Zvada Kick)