Jayden Daniels' late TD keeps Commanders' NFC East hopes alive with win over Giants

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• Jordan Raanan

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  Jordan Raanan

  ESPN Staff Writer

  Jordan Raanan covers the New York Giants for ESPN and can be heard hosting on ESPN Radio. Raanan joined ESPN in 2016.
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• John Keim

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  John Keim

  ESPN Staff Writer

  John Keim covers the Washington Commanders for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2013 after a stint with the Washington Post. He started covering the team in 1994 for the Journal Newspapers and later for the Washington Examiner. He has authored/co-authored four books. You can also listen to him on 'The John Keim Report', which airs on ESPN Richmond radio.

Nov 12, 2026, 11:42 PM ET

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The Washington Commanders might have saved their season Thursday night. If nothing else, the Commanders extended the belief that they can contend for the NFC East title.

Washington's comeback 24-21 win against the New York Giants improved its record to 3-5-1. Now, the Commanders are two games behind New York while owning the tiebreaker. They have more work to do in order to climb back into the race, but the win staved off questions about Dan Quinn's coaching future.

If they had lost Thursday, they would have been all but eliminated -- and Quinn's job security would have become a primary topic considering they entered 7-17-1 since the start of last season. It was the first time Washington won by scoring a touchdown on its final drive. The Commanders had been 1-3-1 in games decided by a touchdown or less before Thursday.

Here are the most important things to know for both teams:

Washington Commanders (3-5-1)

What to make of Daniels' performance: Jayden Daniels overcame his first two interceptions of the season and delivered when Washington needed him most. His strength has been shaking off bad plays and after consecutive series ended with picks in the fourth quarter, he led the go-ahead touchdown drive -- with a 32-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs. Daniels had been highly efficient prior to that pass. He has improved keeping his eyes downfield, which resulted in one play for 30 yards.

Trend to watch: Washington's defense has forced six turnovers in its past three games combined. The Commanders now have 14 takeaways this season, but none were bigger than corner Rasul Douglas' interception to end the Giants' final possession. Washington forced a fumble in the red zone, preventing a potential field goal if nothing else.

Most surprising performance: Tight end Ben Sinnott. He entered with one reception on the season, a disappointing total for the 2024 second-round pick. He was supposed to get more action in Washington's new scheme this season, but it took until Week 10 for him to play a bigger role. He caught four passes for 42 yards and a touchdown against the Giants. -- Keim

Next game: vs. Cincinnati Bengals (Nov. 23, at 8:15 p.m. ET)

New York Giants (5-3-1)

The Giants had a chance to all but bury the NFC East by beating the Commanders. They came up just short by allowing Washington to go 71 yards in 49 seconds late in the fourth quarter and throwing a late interception that ended the game. Now, the division is back open.

The Commanders have life. The door is open for the Dallas Cowboys, who play the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. The Giants entered Thursday night with a 2.5-game lead in the division. A victory would have made them 3-0-1 with wins over each team in the division. They just couldn't finish this one, even with quarterback J.J. McCarthy playing one of the best games of his career up until coming up short in the final seconds.

What to make of McCarthy's performance: Another strong performance by McCarthy, although muddied by the game-ending interception with 25 seconds remaining. He completed 23-of-36 passing for a career-high 293 yards with one touchdown and the late interception. The touchdown pass was an impressive strike on third down with a defender in his face, a 66-yard score to tight end Isaiah Likely that gave the Giants the lead in the fourth quarter.

He was also able to use his legs in this contest. The mobile quarterback rushed for 34 yards as the Giants offense ran some of the stuff they originally had in the playbook for Jaxson Dart. His play remains promising despite the loss.

Trend to watch: Cam Skattebo thrives in primetime games. The second-year running back said this week that the best players show up when the lights are on. Well, Skattebo now has two games in his career with multiple touchdowns on the ground. Both are on Thursday night. He rushed for three TDs in Week 6 in 2025 as a rookie against the Philadelphia Eagles and two Thursday against the Commanders.

Surprising performance: Safety Ar'Darius Washington. He made three massive plays: An interception in the flat with 2:15 remaining, a forced turnover on downs early in the fourth quarter and a good tackle in the open field on Chig Okonkwo on third down. Then he knocked down a pass meant for Diggs that set up the Giants for a touchdown.

Stat to know: The Giants' 16-play touchdown drive in the first half was their longest since Week 9 in 2024. It culminated with a one-yard touchdown run for Skattebo. The Giants converted two third downs and one fourth down on their 7 minute and 48 second march into the end zone to take the lead in the first half. The Giants had two TD drives (against Houston and Philadelphia) of 14 plays. -- Raanan

Next game: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (Nov. 22, at 4:25 p.m. ET)