The Washington Commanders still have plenty of ground to cover, but they remain in the postseason conversation, and that is all they could have asked for after beating the New York Giants on Thursday night.
Washington improved to 3-5-1 and now sits two games behind the NFC East-leading Giants, who fell to 5-3-1. The result keeps the Commanders in the playoff chase for at least another week. A loss would have left them four games back in the division with eight to play, a deficit that almost certainly would have ended any realistic shot at the postseason. Now, they hope, the momentum of their season has turned back in their favor.
"It means everything," tight end Ben Sinnott said after the game. "The highs and lows of this year and just trusting that we have the team and that constant battle in your mind. Whatever everybody else is saying, we don't worry about that. Just take one day at a time, put in the work, know what we have and show up on a Sunday. I guess on Thursday now."
The schedule offers some opportunity. Washington faces a five-game stretch before Christmas that includes the Bengals, Cardinals, Titans, Texans and Falcons, a run that has the Commanders believing they can stay in the hunt.
Linebacker Sonny Styles struck a measured tone about the victory. "I mean, it was a big win," he said. "But this win isn't going to turn the whole season. We've got to keep pushing and keep going and keep getting better and winning a lot more games."
The late comeback, led by quarterback Jayden Daniels, evoked memories of the dramatic 2024 campaign, Washington's most recent trip to the playoffs. If the Commanders are to return this year, the closing stretch of the regular season will need to look a lot like Thursday night. Defensive end Deatrich Wise summed up the performance in one word: "resiliency." "There was a lot of ups and downs, but we stayed focus. We were unfazed throughout the whole thing. Every opportunity that came our way, we conquered it and then we moved into the next challenge," he said.
Rookie kicker Drew Stevens has been a bright spot in a season marked by game management problems. He made all four of his kicks Thursday, three of them extra points, and is 17 of 20 on field goals this season, with every miss coming from 50-plus yards. He has converted 15 of 18 extra-point tries.
The offense still has questions. Rachaad White managed 47 yards on 11 carries, including an 18-yard run, while Daniels added 28 yards on 11 attempts and Austin Ekeler had 26 on nine. With wide receiver Terry McLaurin out for the season and running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt sidelined for a fourth straight game, Washington needs more from its skill players. Sinnott answered the call with four catches for 42 yards and a touchdown, the third of his NFL career, after entering the night with just one catch for 6 yards all season. Left tackle Brandon Coleman, filling in for the injured Laremy Tunsil, was flagged twice, including another false start, continuing the pre-snap penalty problems that have hurt the Commanders since Week 1.
On the injury front, tight end Chig Okonkwo left in the second quarter with a back injury but returned after halftime, while center Lucas Patrick missed the game with a concussion and tight end Colson Yankoff was out with a knee injury. The team will not practice until next week and gets an extended break before its next game.
The victory extended Washington's unbeaten run against New York to six games, including the tie on Oct. 11. The franchise last went unbeaten against the Giants over six consecutive meetings 42 years ago, during a streak from 1981 to 1984. The Commanders next host the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday, Nov. 23.
