EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — When the N.F.L. season started three months in the past, few prognosticators had the Giants and the Washington Commanders battling for playoff spots.
Yet earlier than they confronted one another Sunday at MetLife Stadium, each groups had seven wins and have been in place to make the postseason due to their ball-control offenses and stingy defenses. That gave their matchup additional that means with 5 weeks remaining within the common season.
So it was maybe becoming that the sport between related groups went to extra time and led to a 20-20 tie. The outcome, which left the Giants at 7-4-1 and the Commanders at 7-5-1, additional difficult the difficult stretch run for each groups.
After heading into halftime tied at 13, the groups traded touchdowns within the second half and squandered many different possibilities. In extra time, neither workforce might rating. The sport ended when Giants kicker Graham Gano missed a 58-yard discipline purpose that might have gained the sport.
By tying on the street, the Commanders’ likelihood of creating the playoffs improved to as excessive as 74 %, up from 68 %, in accordance to The Upshot’s playoff simulator. The Giants noticed their probabilities of making the playoffs bounce to 73 % from 64 %.
The groups are bunched within the aggressive N.F.C. East, and the Giants nonetheless have two video games with the first-place Philadelphia Eagles, who improved to 11-1 by beating Tennessee on Sunday. The Giants and the Commanders additionally face one another once more in two weeks.
“We’ll figure it out,” Giants Coach Brian Daboll mentioned of the muddy outcome. “There’s a long way to go.”
The gamers had hassle processing the outcome. The tie “feels like a loss,” Washington quarterback Taylor Heinicke mentioned.
The Giants wore their Eighties uniforms Sunday for what they referred to as a Legacy Game in opposition to a longtime rival, and in some ways, the sport was a throwback to that decade, earlier than the league was dominated by pass-happy offenses.
Neither workforce gained many fashion factors. Giants operating again Saquon Barkley ran for 63 yards — surpassing 1,000 yards for the season — together with a 13-yard landing within the first half. Quarterback Daniel Jones ran for one more 71 yards and scrambled for a number of first downs. But it was usually arduous to decide if he did so by design or as a result of he couldn’t discover an open receiver.
One of Jones’s runs resulted in a fumble at midfield. It got here on the Giants’ first drive of the sport, and Washington transformed it into a discipline purpose. The Commanders added a landing on a 19-yard cross from Heinicke to receiver Terry McLaurin to construct a 10-0 lead within the first quarter.
McLaurin completed with eight catches for 105 yards. Heinicke was 27 for 41 for 275 yards passing and two touchdowns.
Jones was extra environment friendly, finishing 25 of 31 passes for 200 yards and one landing. Other than a 55-yard completion to receiver Darius Slayton, Jones threw principally display screen passes to Barkley and receiver Isaiah Hodgins. Slayton completed with six receptions for 90 yards.
Washington had the ball practically 13 extra minutes than the Giants, however the Giants’ offense grinded away. And when Jones tossed a 6-yard landing cross to Hodgins early within the third quarter to give the Giants their first lead, 20-13, the protection appeared to take over.
Defensive finish Dexter Lawrence and the sting rushers Kayvon Thibodeaux and Oshane Ximines pressured Heinicke, who was sacked 5 occasions. Heinicke hurried a number of different passes that have been incomplete and he misplaced one fumble.
After the Giants grabbed the lead and with Washington making an attempt to reply, Lawrence dropped Heinicke, forcing a 52-yard discipline purpose try that kicker Joey Slye missed extensive proper.
But Heinicke, who has been dogged by turnovers and sloppy passes, a number of of which have been practically intercepted Sunday, confirmed why Washington Coach Ron Rivera has stored him within the beginning function since he changed Carson Wentz.
Needing a landing to tie the sport with lower than three minutes remaining, Rivera elected not to punt on fourth-and-4. Under strain, Heinicke rolled left and discovered receiver Curtis Samuel at midfield for a 20-yard acquire. Heinicke then discovered receiver Jahan Dotson, who scampered into the top zone for a 28-yard landing.
With the rating tied at 20, Jones tried twice to discover Slayton downfield with out success, forcing the Giants to punt. Heinicke and the Commanders couldn’t rating both, so the groups went to extra time.
The Giants gained the coin toss however failed to convert a first down. The Commanders took over on their very own 33-yard line needing solely a discipline purpose to win. Their drive, although, stalled at midfield, giving the Giants a second likelihood. Jones accomplished passes to Hodgins, tight finish Daniel Bellinger and Barkley. But on third-and-2 previous midfield, Jones collided with Barkley and Richie James within the backfield for no acquire.
Thibodeaux practically ended the sport on a security when he sacked Heinicke on the 2-yard line. Washington punted, and the Giants had one final likelihood with 28 seconds remaining, however Gano’s remaining kick fell far wanting the cross bar.
Discussion about this post