Diggs touchdown in the final minute gives Commanders a 24-21 win over the Giants and keeps their season alive
Jayden Daniels threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs with 57 seconds left as the Washington Commanders rallied to beat the New York Giants 24-21 on Thursday night, in what was essentially a must-win game for Washington.
Daniels completed 23 of 33 passes for 249 yards and threw three touchdown passes in the game. Before Diggs, he had thrown touchdown passes to Ben Sinnott and Antonio Williams.
The road to victory was not smooth, however. Daniels threw the first two interceptions of his season to end the previous two drives, with Jevon Holland and Ar'Darius Washington picking him off. Those mistakes looked like they would haunt Washington.
Midway through the fourth quarter, JJ McCarthy connected with Isaiah Likely for a 66-yard touchdown that put the Giants ahead. But New York could not move the ball effectively enough on the ground to run down the clock. Jameis Winston tried to draw the Commanders offside with a hard count, but it did not work, and the Giants kept punting the ball back to Washington.
Given one more chance, a pass-interference call moved Daniels and the offence closer. Diggs then broke open and was able to walk and fall backwards into the end zone to celebrate. It was the 80th touchdown reception of his career; he is the 30th player in league history to reach that mark.
After the game, Diggs said: 'It's been a crazy year for us, but we're 1-0 this week so we're heading in the right direction.' Of his quarterback, he said: '[Like] Kobe Bryant. Poised, he didn't flinch, he rallied behind us.'
McCarthy, meanwhile, threw for a career-high 293 yards in his first home start for New York since a trade from Minnesota in late September. But he was intercepted by Rasul Douglas in the final minute, sending the home fans to the exits.
The win moved the Commanders to 3-5-1, two games back of the NFC East-leading Giants (5-3-1). Washington now also owns the tiebreaker after the two teams tied last month.
