Updated
Jayden Daniels accepted responsibility for the Washington Commanders' costly late-game mistake as they missed an opportunity to secure victory against theNew York Giants, with their overtime meeting ending in a 27-27 tie despite a two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter.
Washington had possession at the 24-yard line with 12 seconds remaining in overtime and no timeouts available as Daniels kept the ball on a pass play, but was stopped for no gain.
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The clock expired before the Commanders could snap the ball or attempt a game-winning field goal, meaning both teams had to settle for a tie in a situation that Washington should have secured a win.
It was a lesson in the wrong way to play situational football and now the process of determining blame begins and whilst Daniels admits he was at fault too, he stresses it was a failing on the part of everyone on the team.
“We gotta relay that as an offense, it starts from everybody top down. Ultimately, it’s on me,” Daniels said, as the quarterback’s comments came after a promising return from a dislocated left elbow, an injury that had sidelined him since Washington’s Week 2 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
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Wearing a protective brace, Daniels demonstrated his ability to create opportunities with both his arm and legs, but the final possession overshadowed much of that progress and completed 17 of 25 passes for 199 yards and added 103 rushing yards on nine carries, including touchdown runs of 38 and 26 yards.
His performance offered encouragement after the elbow injury, but the failure to finish left the 25-year-old facing questions about the decisive sequence but head coach Dan Quinn, however, made clear that the responsibility for the final play extended beyond the quarterback.
Quinn acknowledged that his staff should have managed the situation differently, ensuring the quarterback knew whether to throw the ball away or stop the clock with the game on the line.
“The sequencing of that does not fall on [Daniels],” Quinn said. “It's an outside throw or a clock — an out of bounds throw, or a clock.
"That has to come from me. I have to put him in that spot. I can do that earlier and we can finish the kick earlier. We don't need to gain more yards.”
The Commanders had been in position to win before their advantage disappeared in the fourth quarter. Daniels’ second rushing touchdown gave Washington a 27-13 lead, but Jameis Winston responded with scoring passes to Isaiah Likely and Malik Nabers to force overtime.
Washington’s defense briefly appeared to have secured a winning opportunity when Daron Payne stripped Cam Skattebo with two minutes remaining in overtime.
However, the Commanders could not convert that turnover into points, and Daniels’ final scramble ensured neither side would leave with a victory.