Copr. USA Today Network via Reuters Connect 2026

We apologize to anyone who stayed up late for this outcome last night. The New York Giants were defeated by the Washington Commanders 24-21 in a competitive but frustrating divisional loss. Washington was aided by multiple special teams miscues and playcalling gaffes by the Giants late in the contest as they improved their record to 3-5-1 and avenge their week five clock management failure against New York while Big Blue falls to 5-3-1 on the year with a solid but diminishing lead in the NFC East.

The Giants’ offense was clicking throughout most of the night as Cam Skattebo especially put up his most prolific performance of the season with 78 yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns. J.J. McCarthy also played well, tallying 293 yards passing while going 23/36 with one touchdown and one interception. The interception was the nail in the coffin for the G-Men however, lobbing up a 50-50 ball to Malik Nabers who was engaged in one-on-one coverage with Rasul Douglas, who ended up with the football. McCarthy seemed to be unable to get as much air under the ball as he would’ve liked, facing heavy blitz packages from Washington on the final drive including the deciding play.

Nabers himself had a down night, being the catalyst for two disastrous turnovers; the other being a fumble after a reception deep in Commanders territory on a drive which had the potential to increase New York’s lead to two possessions late in the third quarter. Overall, it was an off night for the Giants’ star wideout, snagging in five catches for a mere 44 yards.

Isaiah Likely on the other hand had a career performance as he hauled in nine receptions for 127 yards (a career high) including a 66 yard touchdown which would turn out to be New York’s last score of the night. Likely closes out a highly prolific series against Washington with 20 total receptions, 221 yards, and three touchdowns.

The Giants defense and special teams looked Jekyll & Hyde-esque throughout the entirety of the game. Kicker Dominic Zvada seemed to fade away under the bright lights of MetLife Stadium, missing his lone field goal attempt of the night and having a kick go out of bounds (technically) on a return attempt as his season continues to spiral out of control.

Defensively, this was the G-Men’s worst output since week 2 against the L.A. Rams. Jayden Daniels was only the second quarterback this season to throw for more than 200 yards against the Giants as he found success with three separate receivers for touchdown passes. Although the Giants safeties forced Daniels into his first two interceptions of the season on back-to-back drives in the fourth quarter, it wasn’t enough to secure the win as a failed (yet quite comedic) hard count attempt by Jameis Winston followed by a failed scramble attempt on third down by McCarthy allowed Washington to take the lead back which they would never surrender.

The General Consensus

Copr. AP-Adam Hunger 2026

Despite this being a ‘fifty-fifty’ ballgame, the Giants needed this win to establish a stranglehold on the NFC East. Although they still have a 1.5 game lead for the time being over Dallas and a full two games on Washington, New York’s upcoming schedule is brutal. They start the toughest stretch of their campaign next week on their home turf against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Nabers was a primary catalyst for the loss, with his fumble and failure to contend with Douglas on the final throw playing a major role in the defeat, although he’s not the only one to blame.

Dominic Zvada in particular needs to go. After a strong start to his rookie campaign, the former Michigan Wolverine has gone a mere 8 for 14 over his last five games including going 2 for 6 in the Washington series. Although it may be a bit far-fetched to blame everything on a kicker, it’s not ridiculous to believe that the Giants would have a good chance of entering today with a 7-2 record if not for his mistakes against the Commanders.

-Jack Barber

Works Cited

https://www.espn.com/nfl/playbyplay/_/gameId/401873052

https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/gamelog/_/id/4361050/isaiah-likely

https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/gamelog/_/id/5082424/dominic-zvada