Commanders Tie Giants 27-27 After Overtime Clock Disaster

The Washington Commanders had a win in their hands on Sunday and let it slip through the clock. Tied 27-27 with the New York Giants in overtime at a rain-soaked Northwest Stadium, Washington drove to the Giants' 24-yard line with a 42-yard field-goal attempt in range and no timeouts left. Jayden Daniels took the snap with 12 seconds left, scrambled up the middle for no gain, and the Commanders could not get back to the line to spike the ball before time died. Dan Quinn slammed his headset to the turf. The game ended a tie.

It was the final mistake in a game full of them. The Giants missed a 46-yard field-goal try in overtime, Dominic Zvada's third miss on five attempts, and lost a fumble on their other overtime possession when Cam Skattebo coughed it up after coach John Harbaugh chose to hand off instead of kneeling out the clock. Washington recovered at its own 24 and Daniels marched the offense 53 yards in the final minute. Then came the sequence that will live in blooper reels: a 16-yard scramble, two completions, and then, with the simplest decision of the season in front of them, a doomed run up the middle.

The tie felt like a loss in the Washington locker room. 'Leaving tonight with a tie feels like a loss,' Quinn said, taking the blame off his quarterback and putting it on himself: 'That is my responsibility, nobody else's.' Daniels, playing his first game back after missing two with a dislocated left elbow, took his share too. 'We have to stop the clock. We have to know the situation,' he said. Commanders part-owner Magic Johnson posted his disbelief at the clock management.

The comeback that forced overtime

Washington had no business needing overtime. The Commanders led 27-13 in the fourth quarter and had held the Giants down all afternoon. Then Jameis Winston caught fire: three touchdown passes in the final 15:44 of regulation, 326 yards on 54 passes for the day. Daniels answered with his legs, 103 rushing yards with touchdown runs of 38 and 26, finishing 17 of 25 for 199 through the air. But the fourth quarter belonged to New York, and overtime belonged to nobody. The result leaves Washington at 1-3-1 and the Giants at 3-1-1, and neither sideline celebrated.

Around the league

Elsewhere, the unbeaten stayed unbeaten. San Francisco edged Seattle 32-29 at Lumen Field, Eddy Pineiro's late 44-yard field goal keeping the 49ers at 5-0 in a fierce NFC West fight. Minnesota beat New Orleans 23-13 to stay perfect too. New England routed Las Vegas 45-17 behind Drake Maye's 374 yards and four touchdowns, and Green Bay throttled Chicago 31-7.

Jacksonville stunned Philadelphia 19-17 in London, Cam Little's 57-yard field goal splitting the uprights as time expired while Trevor Lawrence threw for 331 yards and two scores. The Jaguars are 4-1 and the Eagles are reeling.

The rest of the Sunday slate: Pittsburgh 34-22 over Indianapolis, Cincinnati 31-24 over Miami, the New York Jets 17-12 over Cleveland, Houston 26-3 over Tennessee, Denver 23-17 over the Los Angeles Chargers, Detroit 45-21 over Arizona, and Baltimore 30-23 over Atlanta in overtime. Tampa Bay's 24-16 win over Dallas on Thursday was covered separately.

Key numbers

• 12 seconds left when Daniels took the final snap; 8 when he hit the ground; 0 when Washington finally lined up
• 3 missed kicks on 5 tries for Zvada, including the 46-yarder in overtime
• 54 passes, 326 yards, 3 touchdowns for Winston
• 199 passing yards, 103 rushing yards, 2 rushing touchdowns for Daniels in his return from a dislocated elbow
• 57-yard walk-off field goal for Cam Little in London
• 44-yard game-winner for Eddy Pineiro in Seattle
• 374 yards and 4 touchdowns for Drake Maye
• 5-0: the records of San Francisco and Minnesota, the league's last unbeaten teams

What happens next

Quinn will spend the week answering for the final 12 seconds, and the film session will not be fun. At 1-3-1, Washington has no margin left, and every game is now a referendum on the coaching staff's game management. The Giants, at 3-1-1, escaped Landover feeling lucky rather than good, with a kicking game that nearly cost them twice. Monday night brings Buffalo at the Los Angeles Rams, and the 49ers and Vikings carry perfect records into Week 6 as the teams to beat.