New York (AFP) – Stefon Diggs’ late touchdown secured a tense 24-21 Washington Commanders win over the New York Giants after Cam Skattebo had rushed for two touchdowns Thursday. Commanders QB Jayden Daniels, who had not thrown an interception all season, threw two on consecutive drives while seeking a comeback in a wild fourth quarter, before finding veteran receiver Diggs with a minute remaining for the go-ahead touchdown.
Daniels finished with 249 passing yards and three TDs, with Antonio Williams and Ben Sinnott also reaching the end zone for Washington. Giants signal-caller JJ McCarthy threw for 293 yards and a touchdown to Isaiah Likely, with his veteran backup Jameis Winston also taking to the field for several valuable quarterback sneaks. The late loss prevented New York pulling clear in the NFC East, with the Giants remaining top on 5-3-1 but closely trailed by the Dallas Cowboys (4-5) and Washington, who moved to 3-5-1.
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“We came out here a little shaky, we had some execution problems here and there, but we cleaned it up and we saw what kind of team we could be,” said Diggs. Diggs said his quarterback never lost his composure despite the two interceptions. “Poised. He didn’t flinch. He looked the exact same. He knew he was gonna have a chance to win,” said the receiver.
Torrential rain and lightning during warm-ups eased slightly before kick-off, as the two teams who played out an unlikely tie in Washington last month prepared for battle. Skattebo, who missed last week with a hamstring injury and in characteristically eccentric fashion arrived at this game in a Giants logo-emblazoned ‘Iron Man’ helmet, made several powerful early runs. New York kicker Dominic Zavada missed a 33-yard field goal in a scoreless first quarter. Drew Stevens converted his 46-yard effort for Washington, before the Giants pulled ahead via Skattebo.
Winston, who had swapped in for McCarthy for a quarterback sneak at 4th&1, reappeared later in the drive at 1st&goal, but this time handed it off to the tenacious running back, who scored and celebrated with a backflip. Late in the second quarter, Washington took a 10-7 lead via a short Daniels pass to Sinnott, but the Giants reclaimed the advantage after the break with another Skattebo rushing TD.
This time he darted outside to receive a lateral pass then 13 yards through multiple tackles. Washington continued the back-and-forth pattern as Daniels sent a wide right pass to Williams. The rookie skirted the touchline for a 31-yard touchdown. New York nosed ahead again when McCarthy dropped under pressure and sent a pinpoint pass to Likely on the halfway line, who ran the remainder of the field for a 66-yard TD.
Seeking to rally again, Daniels threw toward Chig Okonkwo in the end zone but was intercepted by Jevon Holland at the pylon. Having reclaimed the ball, Daniels then sent his second interception of the season, barely three minutes after his first, to Ar’Darius Washington. But after a poor Giants punt with under two minutes remaining, the Commanders scored the winning touchdown from a three-play, 49-second drive. From 32 yards, Daniels found Diggs who evaded two tackles and dashed to the line before turning and dramatically falling backward into the end zone. Needing a field goal to force overtime, McCarthy’s deep pass with 25 seconds left was picked by Rasul Douglas.
© 2024 AFP
