The Washington Commanders are still alive.
Washington kept its playoff chances somewhat intact with a 24-21 road victory at the New York Giants on Thursday Night Football.
Jayden Daniels needed to outduel J.J. McCarthy to give his team a shot. Despite throwing two poorly timed interceptions, it was a McCarthy error that sealed the game.
Washington is 3-5-1 with some hope in the NFC East, while the Giants are still on top at 5-3-1. This could be a loss they look back on as a missed opportunity, though.
Let’s break down the Week 10 opener further with winners and losers:
Besides tight end Isaiah Likely’s strong game, Washington’s Diggs was the best receiver on the night. Diggs hauled in six catches on 10 targets for 83 yards and a score.
He most notably delivered the catch-and-run touchdown late in the fourth to give Washington the lead. And it came with a memorable celebration. Diggs did his talking and backed it up.
It wasn’t a bad game by McCarthy, but he will rue some of the missed opportunities throughout. New York should’ve put the game away sooner after Daniels’ initial two interceptions. Instead, it came down to a McCarthy heave that resulted in Rasul Douglas sealing the deal.
McCarthy threw for 293 yards, one touchdown and one pick while completing 23 of 36 passes. The offense needs a bit more juice to stay atop the division.
Every passing week it gets clearer the Commanders have a defensive cornerstone in rookie linebacker Styles.
He was tied with Giants rising star Arvell Reese in total tackles with 13, though he had more solos with five and one tackle for loss. McCarthy had a stiff arm on him earlier in the game, but he compensated with a key third-down tackle to continue adding to his first-year tape.
New York needs Nabers to take that leap at some point. He had four straight strong 100-yard performances earlier in the season, but the last two weeks against divisional opponents have brought him down to earth.
Consistent quarterback play and serious injuries have hindered his development, but he lost a fumble in this one and could’ve done much better on the 50/50 ball Douglas picked off. He finished the game with five catches on seven targets for 44 yards, though one 30-plus-yard play did the heavy lifting.
The NFC East doesn’t have a clear favorite. The Philadelphia Eagles won’t be in the conversation without Jalen Hurts, while the Dallas Cowboys lack the defense and consistency. That leaves New York and Washington.
New York’s hopes relies on McCarthy doing just enough and Washington also slipping up in its pursuit to the top. Both teams have several tough opponents coming the rest of the way, so it’s difficult to predict the division winner. The Giants have the record edge, but Washington secured a key result to keep the pressure on. A loss would’ve all but ended the season, but the Commanders now own the tiebreaker in this matchup.
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