News Article
Published
Oct 15, 2026 at 04:45 PM EDT
Jayden Daniels and his head coach drew intense scrutiny from fans and critics after a late-game blunder cost the Washington Commanders a win over the New York Giants.
The team had 12 seconds remaining in overtime amid a 27-27 tie with their divisional opponent. They had the ball on the Giants' 24-yard line, giving them a prime position to get a game-winning field goal, but unfortunately, their mismanagement of the clock situation bit them hard.
Rather than spiking the ball or throwing it away, Daniels was sacked by Giants defenders, preventing him from stopping the clock. With that, New York staved off a loss and achieved a tie in the NFC East.
On Thursday, Daniels spoke at a media session and accepted blame for the late-game issues, suggesting it's on him rather than head coach Dan Quinn in that situation.
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"Ultimately, I know it's a lot of 'he say' or whatever, but ultimately it's on me. ... I know DQ is getting a lot of slack for it, whatever. Regardless of what happens, I'm the person on the field that's supposed to calm everything and control everything. I fell to the standard I hold myself to and the standard in this organization," Daniels told reporters.
"It's just something for me to move on. Not saying I'm proud of it or anything. ... It was a fail in my eyes. ... I know I'm better than that. I hold myself to a higher standard," he said.
Daniels returned to play in that game after suffering a scary dislocated elbow injury several weeks ago. He performed well, completing 17 of 25 passes for 199 yards. He also ran for 103 yards and scored two rushing touchdowns in the losing effort.
A Commanders win would have helped the team move to 2-3 and put them in a second-place tie with the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys in the division. Instead, the Giants avoided a loss and remained division leaders during a season in which they lost starting quarterback Jaxson Dart in their Week 2 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Now, the Commanders will have a lot of work to do to bounce back from this disappointment, with Daniels needing to prove he can lead his team effectively in all situations.
He and the Commanders will do their best to move on after the loss when they challenge the undefeated San Francisco 49ers in "Monday Night Football" on Oct. 19.
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