Commanders feel defeat, Giants find relief in 27–27 tie

In the NFL, a tie is like kissing your sister, and on Sunday at Northwest Stadium, the Washington Commanders (1-3-1) and the New York Giants (3-1-1) finished 27-27.

The Giants’ three most recent ties have all come against Washington. Before the 20-20 tie with Washington in 2022, the Giants last tied Washington 7-7 in 1997.

Jameis Winston and the Giants overcame a 27-13 deficit to force overtime. New York also had a chance to win it in OT, but Cam Skattebo fumbled deep in Commanders’ territory.

Washington also had a chance to win it in OT, but Jayden Daniels inexplicably ran with the ball deep in Giants territory, with no timeouts left, and Washington couldn’t get lined up to spike the ball before time expired.

Daniels, who returned after missing two games with an elbow injury, says this tie doesn’t feel too good.

“Sh*t. Excuse my language,”  Daniels said. “It’s not a win, so not really feeling that one.”

Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin said it felt like a loss.

“Feels like a loss,” he said. “It’s probably been tied before, especially against them, and it felt like the same. I think this one stings a little bit more because we had it right in the position to have a chance to win the game.”

Giants quarterback Jameis Winston, who completed 33-of-54 passes for 326 yards and three touchdowns, had a different attitude than McLaurin and Daniels.

“I’m really just grateful that it was a tie,” Winston said. “That’s the first time that I’ve been a part of. So, it’s just really good to know that we can just get so much better and just eliminate the negatives and build on the positives emotionally, and I’m just grateful that we found a way to persevere and make it a game.”

Giants coach John Harbaugh is happy that it wasn’t a loss.

“I’m happy it wasn’t a loss, and I’m sad it wasn’t a win,” Harbaugh said. “So that’s how I feel. It’s a tie. It’s a heck of a lot better than a loss, but it’s not as good as a win.”

Daniels, who threw for 199 yards and ran for 103 yards and two touchdowns, took responsibility for the final play.

“We have to stop the clock,” he said. “We have to know the situation. We have to relay that as an offense. It starts with everyone, top down. Ultimately, it’s on me.”

Commanders head coach Dan Quinn also took responsibility for Washington’s failure to kick the possible game-winning field goal.

“Leaving tonight, with a tie feels like a loss,” he said. “And the last sequence, we throw it out of bounds, we clock it, you give yourself a chance to kick it. And we pride ourselves on those moments at the end of the game. And after the first-down run, still trying to gain more for the kick. The right call is honestly like we can go clock it early and don’t put ourselves in that spot, and that is my responsibility.”

In the end, the Commanders, up 14 in the fourth, should have won in regulation, and the Giants probably should have won in OT. None of that matters; it’s a tie.