The New York Giants saw their streak of close escapes end on Thursday night as the Washington Commanders secured a 24-21 victory with a touchdown scored with just 57 seconds remaining. Following the matchup at MetLife Stadium, sports.yahoo.com broke down the top performers and costly mistakes in their “Kudos & Wet Willies” review.
Kudos to Top Performers
Ar’Darius Washington delivered six tackles, two passes defensed, and recorded what could have been a game-sealing interception off Jayden Daniels at the Washington 46-yard line with 2:15 left on the clock. Jevon Holland added his fourth interception of the season by picking off Daniels with 5:31 remaining and the Giants holding a 21-17 lead, though he was ruled down at the 2-yard line.
Quarterback J.J. McCarthy rebounded from an erratic start in his first home game as a Giant, completing 23 of 36 passes for a career-high 293 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, while also rushing six times for 34 yards. His standout moment was a 66-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Likely while under heavy defensive pressure. Cam Skattebo contributed 122 total yards, rushing 18 times for 78 yards and two touchdowns alongside 44 receiving yards, though he later indicated he wished to have handled the ball more during late-game situations.
Isaiah Likely posted a career-best 127 receiving yards on nine catches from 11 targets, anchored by his 66-yard catch-and-run score. Rookie linebacker Arvell Reese notched a game-high 13 tackles, and Jameis Winston attempted a hard count that ultimately did not succeed.
Wet Willies for Costly Mistakes
Rookie placekicker Dominic Zvada missed a 33-yard field goal in the first quarter and committed a kickoff out-of-bounds penalty following a go-ahead touchdown, dropping his season conversion rate to 73.9% across 17 of 23 attempts in a three-point loss. Tight end Theo Johnson dropped a crucial pass on a third-and-3 play during the fourth quarter, compounding ongoing issues with inconsistent hands.
The New York offense failed to convert two separate four-minute opportunities to seal the victory after the interceptions by Holland and Washington. The first stalled when a quarterback tush-push first down was overturned on replay, forcing a punt from the 11-yard line, while the second ended with a two-yard loss on a designed run by McCarthy on third-and-3 near the two-minute warning.
Punting and Final Sequence
Punter Jordan Stout delivered impressive kicks of 68 and 64 yards earlier in the game, but also shanked a 12-yard punt from the 41-yard line with 1:46 remaining.
That miscue handed Washington possession at their own 29-yard line, setting up the game-winning touchdown drive just three plays later.
