Daniels Shakes Off Two Late Picks and Finds Diggs With 57 Seconds Left as the Commanders Edge the First-Place Giants, 24-21

Jayden Daniels spent the last minutes of Thursday night living through a quarterback's worst nightmare, and then he walked right out of it. After throwing two fourth-quarter interceptions, the Washington Commanders quarterback found Stefon Diggs for a 32-yard touchdown with 57 seconds left, and Washington held on to beat the New York Giants, 24-21, at MetLife Stadium.

The win lifted the Commanders to 3-5-1 and kept them in the NFC East conversation, while the Giants fell to 5-3-1 but still sit in first place in the division. It was New York's first loss to a division opponent this season, Athlon Sports noted.

Washington led 10-7 at halftime after Daniels hit tight end Ben Sinnott for a 1-yard touchdown on third-and-goal late in the second quarter, a drive that featured a 30-yard Diggs catch at the two-minute warning, according to Sports Illustrated. The Giants left points on the field before the break when Dominic Zvada missed a 33-yard field goal.

Cam Skattebo, back after missing the previous week's win over Philadelphia, ran for two touchdowns and finished with 78 yards on 18 carries, adding three catches for 44 yards. Washington answered in the third quarter when rookie Antonio Williams caught a 31-yard touchdown on third-and-1 to put the Commanders ahead 17-14. Later in the quarter, Frankie Luvu forced a fumble by Giants receiver Malik Nabers, and Washington recovered at its own 20, Sports Illustrated reported.

New York took the lead back with 8:13 to play. On third-and-7, J.J. McCarthy hit Isaiah Likely on a 66-yard catch-and-run to make it 21-17. Likely finished with nine catches for 127 yards, and McCarthy threw for 293 yards, completing 23 of 36 passes.

What followed looked like a game slipping away from Washington. With the Commanders at the Giants' 24 and 5:31 left, safety Jevon Holland intercepted Daniels at the 2-yard line. Washington got the ball back, but on a fourth-down throw near midfield with a little more than two minutes left, Ar'Darius Washington picked off Daniels again. According to Sky Sports, those were Daniels' first two interceptions of the season.

The Giants could not put the game away. Both of their possessions after the interceptions ended in punts, ClutchPoints reported, and the second lasted just 29 seconds without a first down, according to Athlon. Pro Football Talk also noted a costly Giants delay-of-game penalty on a fourth-and-1 that ended with a punt.

Daniels needed only three plays to cover 71 yards. A 33-yard pass interference penalty on cornerback Deonte Banks, who was covering Treylon Burks, moved Washington into Giants territory on a call Pro Football Talk described as questionable. On third-and-4 from the 32, Daniels found Diggs for the go-ahead score.

McCarthy had one more chance and moved the Giants near midfield, but under a blitz he threw deep for Nabers, and Rasul Douglas intercepted the pass in the final half-minute to seal it.

Daniels finished 23 of 33 for 249 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, and ran 10 times for 28 yards. Diggs caught six passes for 83 yards. The Giants outgained Washington 399 yards to 340.

Daniels summed up the night's lesson in a sentence. "You could mess up the whole game but still have a chance to win," he said, according to Sky Sports. Giants coach John Harbaugh called the loss a missed opportunity but said it does not change things for his team, and McCarthy acknowledged it is easy to second-guess his final two throws, Sky Sports reported.

There is a reason coaches call football a teacher. Daniels made two mistakes that would have buried a lot of quarterbacks, and he did not hang his head or point fingers. He went back to the huddle, trusted his teammates and delivered. That is the kind of resilience young athletes should see, and it is the kind fathers try to teach their sons long before anyone is keeping score.

For the Giants, the lesson is about finishing. They outgained Washington, led with eight minutes left and got two takeaways in the fourth quarter, yet came away with nothing from either one. A first-place team learns from nights like this, and Harbaugh's calm response suggests his locker room will not panic.

Washington, still without injured receiver Terry McLaurin, hosts the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football in Week 11. The Giants get extra rest before they host the Jacksonville Jaguars at MetLife Stadium in 10 days. With the division lead still in hand, New York controls its own path, but Thursday proved the NFC East race is far from settled.