Instant analysis of Commanders’ tie against the New York Giants

The Washington Commanders tied against the New York Giants 27-27 in their fifth game of the season in Northwest Stadium. It was their first tie since December 2022, also against the Giants.

Washington scored on its opening drive but missed an extra point to lead 6-0 early. The Giants then missed a field goal on their opening drive, and the teams traded punts after that. New York would get a field goal before the end of the first quarter to make it 6-3. 

In the second quarter, the Commanders added two more punts, while the Giants fumbled and missed a field goal, giving Washington a 12-3 lead at halftime. New York got a field goal on its opening drive of the second half, and both teams scored touchdowns to make it 19-13 going into the fourth quarter.

The Commanders added a touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter to make it 27-13, but the Giants responded with a touchdown drive of their own to make it a seven-point game again. After Washington went three-and-out, New York drove downfield and scored a touchdown to tie it 27-27. The Commanders had a chance to get into field goal range before the end of regulation. But after quarterback Jayden Daniels was sacked on second down and there was an incompletion on third down, which led to a punt and sent the game into overtime.

Washington elected to defer. On New York’s first overtime drive, the Giants moved downfield and into field goal range. However, they missed their third field goal of the game, keeping it tied 27-27. The Commanders punted on their opening overtime drive, meaning the next score would win. That is when it got sloppy for both teams.

New York marked down the field on an eight-play, 67-yard drive. They were at the Washington 24-yard line and well within field goal range when Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne forced a fumble from Cam Skattebo, giving Washington the ball back with under two minutes left in overtime.

Daniels moved the Commanders downfield with multiple passes and a run. They reached the Giants’ 24-yard line when Daniels tried to run instead of throw. Washington had no timeouts and couldn't stop the clock, and only 12 seconds remained when they snapped the ball. The Commanders couldn't get to the line of scrimmage in time to spike the ball, and it ended in a 27-27 tie.

Play of the Game

SKATTEBO WILD FUMBLE 😳

COMMANDERS BALL IN OT 👀

(via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/Gw8eBrMYow

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 11, 2026

If not for this fumble, the Commanders would have lost instead of tying. This gave Washington a chance to win and it was a chance they almost took advantage of. Even though the Commanders ultimately didn't win, Daron Payne stepped up when Washington needed him and at least gave them a chance.

Numbers to know

• 378: Washington finished the game with 378 total yards compared to New York’s 408 yards. What is fascinating about the Commanders’ yardage is that they had over 200 rushing yards and only 176 passing yards. Daniels opened Washington’s running game back up after its recent struggles.
• 0/1: It is rare for a team to put up 27 points without ever scoring in the red zone, but that is what the Commanders did after going 0-for-1 in the red zone. If they can improve in the red zone going forward, Washington could come away with more wins instead of a tie or a loss.
• 0: One bright side for Washington is that they protected the football and did not commit a turnover while generating two takeaways on defense. It is unfortunate when a team loses or ties despite winning the turnover battle, but at least the Commanders weren't shooting themselves in the foot with turnovers.

Game balls

• QB Jayden Daniels: He may have only finished the game with 199 passing yards, but Washington would not have had a chance without him. His elbow brace did not limit him in this game, especially in the ground game, with nine rushing attempts for 103 rushing yards and two touchdowns. However, the fact that he did not throw the ball away so the Commanders could kick a field goal is egregious. Still, he had a great game in the first 60+ minutes.
• RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt: Washington’s run game was crucial for the Commanders in this game. Croskey-Merritt finished the game 7.5 yards per attempt, 82 rushing yards and a touchdown, arguably his best career game.
• DT Daron Payne: His forced fumble on Skattebo was the play of the game and gave Washington a chance to win the game. Even though the Commanders did not win the game, Payne deserves a lot of credit for that play. He also finished this game with a sack.

What’s next

After this tie, the Commanders will be looking to get their second win of the season on Monday Night Football against the San Francisco 49ers. While the 49ers are considered one of the best teams in the NFL, Washington is undefeated against the NFC West so far, with their only win of the season through five weeks coming against the Seattle Seahawks.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Instant analysis of Commanders’ tie against the New York Giants