Jayden Daniels threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs with 57 seconds remaining as the Washington Commanders rallied to beat the New York Giants 24-21 on Thursday night.
The victory lifted Washington to 3-5-1, two games behind the NFC East-leading Giants at 5-3-1. The Commanders also hold the tiebreaker after the teams tied last month.
Diggs’ touchdown was his 80th career touchdown reception, making him the 30th player in NFL history to reach that mark. He finished with six catches for 83 yards.
Daniels’ winning pass followed interceptions by Jevon Holland and Ar’Darius Washington that ended the Commanders’ previous two drives. They were Daniels’ first two interceptions of the season.
New York had taken the lead midway through the fourth quarter on J.J. McCarthy’s 66-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Likely, but the Giants struggled to run the ball and punted multiple times. A pass-interference call moved Washington closer on its scoring drive.
Daniels completed 23 of 33 passes for 249 yards and three touchdowns, with Ben Sinnott and Antonio Williams also catching scoring passes. He ran 10 times for 28 yards, while Rachaad White led Washington with 47 yards on 11 carries.
McCarthy completed 23 of 36 passes for a career-high 293 yards in his first home start for New York since his trade from Minnesota in late September. Likely caught nine passes for 127 yards, and Cam Skattebo ran 18 times for 78 yards and two touchdowns.
Rasul Douglas intercepted McCarthy in the final minute. Discussing his final two passes, McCarthy said: “It’s easy to second-guess the final two passes. The pressure was coming. It’s one-on-one outside. I wanted to give my playmaker a chance.”
