New York Giants Blew It, But There is Reason for Optimism

The New York Giants were this close to a thrilling comeback overtime win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday afternoon. Then, Cam Skattebo fumbled.

Luckily, the Commanders somehow bungled what should have been a game-winning field goal, as Jayden Daniels appeared to forget the team didn't have any timeouts remaining and inexplicably ran out the clock.

The end result for the Giants? A 27-27 tie in what should have been a 30-27 victory.

It wasted what was actually a tremendous final drive for Skattebo, who played a major role in leading New York down the field and into range for Dominic Zvada (who had already missed three kicks, but this one would have been far more manageable).

But with New York simply trying to center the ball more and pick up a couple of more yards for its kicker, Skattebo put the ball on the ground, and Washington recovered.

At least the Giants didn't get a loss, and they did rally from a 27-13 fourth-quarter deficit thanks to some late-game heroics from Jameis Winston.

But it was hard not to question Matt Nagy's play calling on New York's initial possession in overtime, where the Giants didn't run the ball once and watched as Zvada ultimately missed a 46-yard field goal that would have put Big Blue ahead and, ultimately, secured a win for New York.

Plus, right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor left the game with what appeared to be a pretty serious calf injury, and while Marcus Mbow is entirely capable of filling, it will sting if Eluemunor is sidelined for an extended period of time.

There was definitely a lot of good down the stretch. Dennard Wilson's blitz-heavy schemes down the stretch had Washington completely befuddled, even if the defense did cave a bit on the final possession. The Giants were fortunate enough that the Commanders made such an incomprehensible decision.

It was also great seeing Winston looked so comfortable under center, throwing for 326 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. He had plenty of time to throw the football, too, which is yet another testament to how improved New York's offensive line is.

Malik Nabers looked brilliant. Isaiah Likely — who was banged up in overtime, although it didn't appear to be anything too severe — had his best game as Giant.

It would have been nice if the rest of the wide receiver room stepped up. Darnell Mooney had a critical drop on third down late in the game and had just two catches on seven targets. Malachi Fields had a couple of grabs, but was generally quiet.

Had the Giants won this game, they would have grabbed a convincing two-game lead in the NFC East with both the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles losing this week. Instead, they settled for a tie.

It's a sign that while New York is absolutely a better team than previous iterations, it isn't quite there yet. Had the Giants fully arrived, they would have won this game on the road.

But that's okay. There was still progress here, and New York is still undefeated in the NFC East through two games in 2026.

The Giants will be back home against the New Orleans Saints next Sunday.