Studs, Duds from Washington Commanders, New York Giants 27-27 Tie

The Washington Commanders drew a tie against the New York Giants on Sunday in a game that felt like a loss, falling to 1-3-1 overall. Breaking down the studs and duds from Sunday's finish:

Stud: QB Jayden Daniels

Daniels, returning from missing two games with a dislocated left elbow, went 17-for-22 for 199 yards and two electrifying touchdown runs, showing no fear of leaving the pocket. He had 103 yards on his nine carries, including his 38-yard scamper, to put the Commanders up 27-13 with 11:05 remaining in regulation.

Dud: Final Clock Management Sequence in Overtime

The Commanders had a chance to win by spiking the ball with about 15 seconds remaining. However, offensive coordinator David Blough, head coach Dan Quinn, and the rest of his coaching staff thought it was best to run another play, even though they fell on Quinn. He should have known they didn’t have a timeout and communicated the game situation so they could act accordingly. Quinn was a class act and took full accountability postgame, but that decision may bite him late in the season.

Stud: TE Chig Okonkwo

Okonkwo was a welcomed presence coming back from injury, as the Commanders did not have a real tight end threat until Sunday when he and Daniels had a 23-yard pass on the first play from scrimmage, and then he made a 25-yard catch-and-run in the second quarter. However, he was quiet in the second half of the game as the Giants used their blitz packages to force him into pass protection for Daniels.

Dud: CB Mike Sainristil

Sainrisitl possibly had his best game of the year, which isn’t saying much, but he still struggled when we were out there. He got beat on the touchdown pass to tie the game, as well as the 28-yard reception to Nabers in overtime that put the Giants in position to win. Sainrisitl recorded two tackles, but Jameis Winston found a groove when he targeted number 0 covering Nabers.

Stud: Defensive Line

The Commanders held the Giants to 3.7 yards per carry, forced two fumbles, and pressured Winston multiple times, with seven quarterback hits. Deatrich Wise returned from injured reserve and made plays; Daron Payne forced the fumble on Cam Skattabo's run giving the team a chance to win in overtime. Shy Tuttle, who recovered the fumble in overtime, held its ground.

Dud: Covering Tight Ends

This has been an age-old problem for the Commanders, and it showed up again today, especially on the final three drives in regulation, as Isaiah Likely caught two touchdowns on 11 catches and Theo Johnson added two for 35 yards, but they were for first downs. Jeremy Reaves and Quan Martin were responsible for most of those plays.

Other Studs

Other Duds