Week 5 · 2026
Isaiah Likely’s Big Night Lifts Giants Into a Wild Tie in Washington
New York Giants 27 at Washington Commanders 27
Washington Strikes Fast
With the clock at zero in overtime, Jayden Daniels was sacked, and a wild game ended 27–27. Neither the Giants nor the Commanders could find one final score in Washington. The tie came after both teams had built leads, lost them, and fought back. Washington started with the kind of speed that can change a game quickly. Daniels hit tight end Chig Okonkwo for two big catches, and Jacory Croskey-Merritt ran 33 yards up the middle for a touchdown. The extra-point kick missed, but the Commanders led 6–0. New York answered with a 51-yard field goal after Jameis Winston found Malik Nabers for a 20-yard catch.
Daniels Finds Open Space
The Commanders kept the momentum in the second quarter. Okonkwo and Austin Ekeler helped move the ball close to the goal line, but the Giants forced Washington to settle for a field goal. Then defensive tackle Tim Settle recovered a Winston fumble, which happens when a player loses the ball. Washington turned that chance into another field goal and led 12–3 at halftime. After the break, Daniels made the lead much larger with his legs. He raced 38 yards through the middle for a touchdown early in the third quarter. In the fourth, he escaped again and ran 26 yards to the end zone. A two-point pass to Terry McLaurin gave Washington a 27–13 lead. Daniels finished with 103 rushing yards and two touchdowns, making the Giants chase both his passes and his runs.
Likely Brings Giants Back
Yet the Giants were persistent, continuing to fight even when the game looked nearly out of reach. Winston kept throwing to Isaiah Likely, who became New York’s steady answer. Likely caught 11 passes for 94 yards. He scored on a 3-yard touchdown late in the third quarter, and replay later gave him another score. Officials saw that he crossed the goal line before losing the ball, so his 17-yard play counted as a touchdown. That score cut the lead to seven points, and the Giants had time for one more charge. With 1:43 left, Winston found Nabers deep down the middle for a 17-yard touchdown. Nabers had 11 catches for 121 yards, and the extra point tied the score. In overtime, Giants kicker Dominic Zvada missed from 46 yards, but Washington could not win after reaching Giants territory. Daniels was sacked as time ran out, leaving the Giants at 3–1–1 and the Commanders at 1–3–1.