Jayden Daniels’ Scramble Leaves Washington With a 27-27 Tie

Jayden Daniels ran for 103 yards and two scores in his return, then tucked the ball with 12 seconds left in overtime as the Washington Commanders and New York Giants finished 27-27 at Northwest Stadium.

Washington had the ball at the Giants 24 with no timeouts. The call was a pass that could be thrown away. Daniels kept it, went down for no gain with eight seconds left, and the clock hit zero before a spike. It was the first tie of the 2026 season.

The Same Run Built the Lead and Burned the Clock

The scramble was the best thing Washington had all afternoon, until it was the last thing. Daniels, wearing a brace on the left elbow he dislocated against Dallas in Week 2, was 17 of 25 for 199 yards and added those 103 yards on nine carries. Combined he had 302 total yards and two touchdowns, and he stayed on his feet for just under 70 minutes of game time.

The Giants did not put a spy on him. He said so himself after the 26-yard score. “Man coverage and no spy. So, try to make them pay for it.” He had already paid them once, a 38-yard run in the third quarter, the longest touchdown run of his career, that made it 19-6. The second run, after an 81-yard drive, made it 27-13 with 11:05 left in regulation, and a two-point throw to Terry McLaurin stuck.

That is the play he is. Keep it. Cut. Go. On the last snap it was the same play with the wrong clock. Giants linebacker Tremaine Edmunds was credited with a sack. Daniels had already moved the offense into range with a 16-yard scramble on that drive. Asking him to throw the ball into the sideline asked him to kill the habit that had just put 12 points on the board.

The Commanders can't get the play off in time and this game ends in a tie pic.twitter.com/WmPp6q5hU0

— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2026

THE FINAL MINUTE AT THE GIANTS 24

1. Just over 1:00 left: Treylon Burks catches a pass and steps out at the Giants 26, putting Washington in field-goal range with no timeouts.
2. Rachaad White, 2 yards: A run to the Giants 24. The clock keeps moving. Washington still has not called for the spike.
3. 12 seconds: Daniels takes a second-and-8 snap on a pass play. Tight end Ben Sinnott and Treylon Burks release. He does not throw it away.
4. 8 seconds: He tucks, goes down for no gain, and stays on the turf while the offense tries to line up.
5. 0:00: No spike. No Drew Stevens. Tie.

Coach Dan Quinn said after the game that the right call, once White had been tackled, was to clock it early. “We don’t need to gain more yards.” The sequence still ran a live play. Daniels still ran with it.

Winston Pulled New York Back From 27-13

Jameis Winston, in his third start with Jaxson Dart out, spent the first half looking lost and the second half looking like the reason New York still leads the East. He finished 33 of 54 for 326 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, a 96.7 rating, after the Giants managed 77 yards before halftime. He completed 10 of his final 13 passes in regulation.

The comeback sat on two targets. Tight end Isaiah Likely caught 11 passes for 94 yards and two scores, a 3-yarder at the end of the third and a 17-yarder at 7:20 of the fourth that was punched out after he crossed the goal line and then given back by replay. Wide receiver Malik Nabers caught 11 for 121 yards on 20 targets and tied it from 17 yards out with 1:43 left. They became the second wide receiver and tight end pair in league history to each post 11 catches, 90-plus yards, and a touchdown in the same game.

HOW THE POINTS LANDED

Washington had seven offensive plays after the 27-13 score. New York scored on four straight possessions to close regulation. Winston is the first Giant with consecutive games of three passing touchdowns since Eli Manning in 2016. His 54 attempts were the most of his career in a game without a pick. The box also showed the cost of that volume: New York ran 84 plays for 408 yards and held the ball 39:25, while Washington ran 60 for 378 and 30:35.

Three Missed Kicks Left New York One Fumble From a Win

The tie was sitting there before anyone scrambled. Zvada, an undrafted rookie who had been 9-for-9 this season, went 2-for-5 in the rain. He made from 51 and from 56, which tied Ali Haji-Sheikh’s 1983 mark for the longest made field goal by a Giants rookie. He missed from 50, from 57 at the end of the first half, and from 46 to open overtime. Four of those tries were from 50-plus, the only such rookie game since at least 1983.

Stevens was cleaner and still left a point on the grass. He missed the extra point after Croskey-Merritt’s opening 33-yard run, then made from 28 and 40. Washington led 12-3 at the break because New York missed twice. In overtime the misses flipped. Zvada hooked the 46-yarder wide left, and the next score was going to win it.

That is why Giants coach John Harbaugh wanted Cam Skattebo to run twice then take the knee at the Washington 24 after the two-minute warning, then kick. Skattebo had 59 yards on 13 carries. Daron Payne ripped the ball out. Shy Tuttle recovered. Skattebo said he had to hold onto it. He also watched the final snap from the other sideline and called it insane.

CHAOS IN OVERTIME

Cam Skattebo fumbles, and Washington recovers!

📺: FOX/FOX One pic.twitter.com/LeMXcD6EOI

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 11, 2026

I’ve got to hold onto the ball, and make sure that these guys know that when my name is called, that we’re going to be OK.

Cam Skattebo, Giants running back, postgame

Zvada did not hide. “I don’t have any excuses,” he said. Harbaugh said his confidence in the kicker is still high. A kick from that distance was makeable, he said, and it was not a gimme, which is why he wanted more yards first.

Why Overtime Expired at the Giants 24?

Regular-season extra time is a 10-minute period, not a new game. Both teams get a chance to possess the ball. After those possessions, the next score wins. If the period ends still tied, the game is a tie. Each club gets two timeouts, and coaches cannot challenge; the booth starts every review.

Washington won the toss and kicked off, which is how New York got the first look. Zvada missed. Washington punted. New York drove to the 24 and fumbled. Daniels then moved his offense into range and never stopped the clock. Under the regular-season overtime lasts 10 minutes rule, that was the end of it. There is no extra period in the regular season.

THE FOUR OVERTIME POSSESSIONS

• Giants, first look: Drive into Washington territory. Zvada misses a 46-yarder wide left.
• Commanders, first look: Near midfield, then a punt after Abdul Carter forced a fumble that Washington recovered.
• Giants, second look: Skattebo’s 19-yard run and a 28-yard catch by Nabers, then first down at the Washington 24. Payne strips Skattebo after the two-minute warning. Tuttle recovers.
• Commanders, last look: McLaurin for 16, Daniels for 16, Burks out at the 26, White for 2, then the tuck at the 24. Clock expires.

Giants defensive lineman Shelby Harris said the last snap looked like confusion from the other side. Quinn had already used both overtime timeouts. So had Harbaugh. Once White went down, the only clean answers were a spike or a throw that landed out of bounds. Washington ran a pass that became a run instead.

The NFC East Went Winless, and New York Still Leads

None of the four East teams won in Week 5. Dallas lost at home to Tampa Bay on Thursday. Philadelphia lost 19-17 to Jacksonville in London. Then the two clubs that played each other tied. New York still left Landover in first place because a tie is a half-win in the percentage, and 3-1-1 is .700.

NFC EAST AFTER WEEK 5

Washington is 0-2-1 in the division and last by itself. The Giants are 3-3 in the red zone on Sunday and Washington 0-1. New York also lost right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor to a left calf injury, cornerback Colton Hood to a concussion evaluation, and safety Tyler Nubin to a neck injury. McLaurin returned from a hamstring absence and caught 4 passes for 62 yards, plus the two-point conversion. Croskey-Merritt added 82 yards on 11 carries. Attendance was 64,195 on a wet field.

Sunday was the third overtime tie between the clubs since the league added extra time in 1974, matching Green Bay and Minnesota for the most such deadlocks. The previous two were Nov. 23, 1997, and Dec. 4, 2022. It was their seventh overtime meeting, three of them in the past eight seasons. Washington also scored a touchdown on its first drive, snapping an 18-game Giants streak without allowing one.

Quinn Owned the Call After Time Ran Out

Quinn said a tie feels like a loss. He said he was gutted. He also took the play off his quarterback.

The sequencing of that does not fall on him. It’s an outside throw or a clock. That has to come from me. I have to put him in that spot. I can do that earlier and we can finish the kick earlier. We don’t need to gain more yards.

Dan Quinn, Commanders coach, postgame

Daniels did not take the off-ramp. “We have to stop the clock. 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.” McLaurin said ties are never good enough when Stevens never got a chance. The louder argument around the play is not mysterious. A dual-threat quarterback who had just beaten a defense twice with his legs was asked, with 12 seconds and no timeout, to do the one thing that cuts against that gift.

It’s a heck of a lot better than a loss, but it’s not as good as a win. I know that just sounds so obvious, but that’s kind of how you feel. We’ll take it, we’ll take it right now.

John Harbaugh, Giants coach, postgame

Harbaugh also said New York should never have been down 14, and that the Giants let Daniels run too much. Winston, he said, was amazing after the break and not in the first half, and Winston would be the first to tell you. New York went no-huddle to get there. Washington had the ball at the 24 and a kicker who had not missed a field goal. The ball never left Daniels’ hands.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Does NFL Regular-Season Overtime Work?

The visiting captain calls a coin toss after a three-minute break. Both teams must get a chance to possess the ball unless the kicking team scores a safety on the first drive. After those possessions, the next score of any kind wins. Each team gets two timeouts. If the 10 minutes run out still tied, the game is recorded as a tie. Coaches cannot throw a challenge flag; the replay official starts every review.

Have the Giants and Commanders Tied in Overtime Before?

Yes. They finished tied on Nov. 23, 1997, and Dec. 4, 2022, and again on Oct. 11. Those three overtime ties match the Packers-Vikings total for the most since extra time was added in 1974. Sunday was also the seventh overtime game between the two franchises.

Which Games Did Jayden Daniels Miss Before This Return?

He dislocated his non-throwing left elbow in a Week 2 loss to Dallas, the second time he has done that, and sat out a Week 3 win over Seattle and a Week 4 loss to Indianapolis. He was cleared during the week and started against New York with a brace on the arm.

What Is an NFL Tie Worth in the Standings?

A tie counts as a half-win and a half-loss in winning percentage, which is (wins + 0.5 × ties) divided by games. That is why New York’s 3-1-1 is.700 and Washington’s 1-3-1 is.300, and why the Giants gained only a half-game on the 2-3 Eagles and Cowboys instead of a full game.

Who Started at Quarterback for the Giants?

Winston started his third straight game with Dart out for the season. J.J. McCarthy was the No. 2 and made his Giants debut on a gadget snap in the first quarter, a short pass to Darnell Mooney that lost 5 yards before a facemask penalty. Jake Haener was the emergency third quarterback and inactive as the third QB.

The Giants host New Orleans on Oct. 18, then go to Houston before the bye. Washington visits San Francisco on Monday, Oct. 19, still without a division win.