Commanders Stun Giants 24-21 as Daniels Hits Diggs for Late Winning TD

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Video: NFL, “CAN THE COMMANDERS SAVE THEIR SEASON?! Commanders vs Giants Week 10 Ending,” embedded with the official YouTube player. The league’s own upload of the closing stretch of Thursday’s game at MetLife Stadium, per its title. Uploaded by NFL on Nov. 12, 2026, at 11:46 p.m. ET. Running time 29:39.

INSTANT UPDATE

Latest: Final score: Washington Commanders 24, New York Giants 21. Jayden Daniels hit Stefon Diggs for a 32-yard touchdown with 57 seconds left, and Rasul Douglas intercepted J.J. McCarthy with 25 seconds to go to seal it, according to ESPN’s play-by-play and AP.

  • What: Week 10 Thursday Night Football, an NFC East game the Commanders rallied to win after trailing 21-17 in the fourth quarter.
  • When: Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026. Kickoff was 8:15 p.m. ET on Prime Video.
  • Where: MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
  • Who: Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, wide receiver Stefon Diggs and cornerback Rasul Douglas; Giants quarterback J.J. McCarthy, tight end Isaiah Likely and running back Cam Skattebo.
  • Current situation: The game is final. Washington is 3-5-1 and the Giants are 5-3-1, and the Commanders now hold the head-to-head tiebreaker after the teams tied in October, AP reported.

Last verified update: 12:35 a.m. ET, Fri., Nov. 13, 2026

Key Points

  • The Commanders beat the Giants 24-21 on Diggs’ 32-yard catch with 57 seconds left, a three-play, 71-yard drive helped by a 33-yard pass interference penalty, according to ESPN’s play-by-play.
  • Daniels went 23 of 33 for 249 yards with three touchdowns, after throwing his first two interceptions of the season on back-to-back fourth-quarter drives, AP reported.
  • Douglas picked off McCarthy’s deep throw with 25 seconds left after the Giants reached the Washington 48, NBC Sports reported.
  • McCarthy threw for a career-high 293 yards, AP said, and Likely caught nine passes for 127 yards, including a 66-yard touchdown that put New York ahead with 8:13 to play.
  • Washington (3-5-1) is two games behind the NFC East-leading Giants (5-3-1) but owns the tiebreaker after a 27-27 overtime tie on Oct. 11, according to AP and ESPN’s NFL schedule.
  • Next: the Giants host Jacksonville on Sunday, Nov. 22, and the Commanders host Cincinnati on Monday, Nov. 23.

Commanders vs Giants on Thursday Night Football turned into a late-game thriller, and Washington walked out of MetLife Stadium with a 24-21 win. Jayden Daniels threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs with 57 seconds left, then cornerback Rasul Douglas intercepted J.J. McCarthy with 25 seconds remaining to finish it, according to ESPN’s play-by-play and The Associated Press.

The result keeps the Commanders’ season alive. Washington improved to 3-5-1 and sits two games behind the NFC East-leading Giants (5-3-1), but it now owns the head-to-head tiebreaker after the teams tied 27-27 in overtime on Oct. 11, AP reported. Daniels had called the game a “must win” after Sunday’s 20-13 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, USA Today reported.

What happened

For most of the fourth quarter, the night belonged to New York. With 8:13 to play, McCarthy fired a pass through a tight window to tight end Isaiah Likely, who turned it into a 66-yard touchdown and a 21-17 Giants lead, according to ESPN’s scoring summary and NFL.com.

Daniels then threw his first two interceptions of the season on consecutive possessions. Safety Jevon Holland took the ball away from tight end Chig Okonkwo at the 2-yard line with 5:27 left, and Ar’Darius Washington jumped a fourth-and-2 throw at the Washington 45 with 2:15 left, NBC Sports reported. AP said the picks came on Daniels’ 208th and 211th pass attempts of the season.

The Giants could not close it out. Facing fourth-and-1 at their own 11 with 3:27 left, backup quarterback Jameis Winston, who handles the team’s quarterback sneaks, tried to draw Washington offside with a “Who Let the Dogs Out” hard count, NBC Sports reported. It did not work, New York took a delay of game and punted.

Washington’s final drive took three plays, 71 yards and 49 seconds, according to ESPN’s drive chart. A 33-yard defensive pass interference penalty on Giants cornerback Deonte Banks, who was covering Treylon Burks, moved the ball into New York territory. NBC Sports called the flag questionable and NFL.com called it controversial. After a 1-yard Daniels scramble and a 5-yard pass to Austin Ekeler, Daniels found Diggs over the middle, and the veteran receiver fell backward into the end zone for the go-ahead score with 57 seconds left.

New York had one more chance. The Giants reached the Washington 48, but on third down McCarthy’s deep throw for Malik Nabers was intercepted by Douglas with 25 seconds left, NBC Sports and NFL.com reported.

Commanders vs Giants: key stats

Team stat Commanders Giants
Final score 24 21
Total yards 340 399
Net passing yards 235 283
Rushing yards 105 116
Turnovers 2 (2 INT) 2 (1 INT, 1 fumble lost)
Third-down conversions 7 of 14 4 of 12
Penalties 4 for 17 yards 6 for 62 yards
Time of possession 30:22 29:38

Source: ESPN box score, checked 12:30 a.m. ET, Fri., Nov. 13, 2026. Table: LiveNewsWorld.

Player Key line
Jayden Daniels, WAS QB 23 of 33, 249 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT; 28 rushing yards
Stefon Diggs, WAS WR 6 catches, 83 yards, 1 TD
Rachaad White, WAS RB 11 carries, 47 yards
J.J. McCarthy, NYG QB 23 of 36, 293 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 34 rushing yards
Isaiah Likely, NYG TE 9 catches, 127 yards, 1 TD
Cam Skattebo, NYG RB 18 carries, 78 yards, 2 TD; 3 catches, 44 yards

Source: ESPN box score, corroborated by NBC Sports and Bleacher Report. Table: LiveNewsWorld.

How the scoring unfolded

  • Second quarter, 14:07: Drew Stevens 46-yard field goal. Commanders 3, Giants 0.
  • Second quarter, 2:35: Cam Skattebo 1-yard run. Giants 7, Commanders 3.
  • Second quarter, 0:05: Daniels 1-yard pass to tight end Ben Sinnott. Commanders 10, Giants 7 at halftime.
  • Third quarter, 10:22: Skattebo 13-yard run. Giants 14, Commanders 10.
  • Third quarter, 6:56: Daniels 31-yard pass to rookie Antonio Williams. Commanders 17, Giants 14.
  • Fourth quarter, 8:13: McCarthy 66-yard pass to Likely. Giants 21, Commanders 17.
  • Fourth quarter, 0:57: Daniels 32-yard pass to Diggs. Commanders 24, Giants 21.

Source: ESPN scoring summary. The teams traded the lead four times in the second half, NBC Sports noted.

Background and context

This was the second meeting of the season between the division rivals. On Oct. 11 in Landover, Maryland, the teams played to a 27-27 overtime tie, according to ESPN’s NFL schedule and AP. NFL.com wrote that Washington “bungled a seemingly sure win” that day. Thursday’s result gives the Commanders a 1-0-1 edge in the series, which is why they now hold the tiebreaker.

Washington arrived under pressure. The Commanders were 2-5-1 after the loss to the Rams, and coach Dan Quinn was facing job-security questions, USA Today reported before kickoff. Quinn told reporters he tries “to avoid the declarations” about must-win games, while Daniels used exactly that phrase.

The Giants came in on a two-game winning streak. McCarthy, acquired in a trade from Minnesota in late September, was making his first home start for New York, AP reported, and NFL.com noted he was trying to extend an NFL-best six-game personal winning streak dating to his time with the Vikings. The loss ended both streaks.

For the league record book, Diggs’ touchdown was the 80th receiving touchdown of his career, making him the 30th player in NFL history to reach that mark, according to AP.

What players and analysts are saying

NFL.com’s postgame analysis said Washington’s playoff chances remain slim, putting the Commanders’ playoff probability at 19% after the win, but noted that “time didn’t run out” on Daniels and his team. The site also wrote that New York’s offense “went nowhere” over its last three possessions, when a few first downs would have run out the clock.

NFL.com described McCarthy’s night as otherwise solid before the late interception, and it singled out Sinnott, who entered with one catch on the season, for his four receptions and a touchdown. In a postgame interview on ESPN’s SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt, Daniels discussed the team’s resilience and locker room mentality after the comeback, according to the ESPN video description.

Injuries to watch: Okonkwo left in the second quarter with a back injury and returned after halftime, while Giants safety Jason Pinnock left early in the third quarter with a back injury, AP reported. Giants kicker Dominic Zvada missed a 33-yard field goal wide left.

Why it matters

A loss would have dropped Washington three games behind New York with eight games to play. Instead, the gap is two games, and the head-to-head tiebreaker sits with the Commanders, according to AP. The NFC East standings after Thursday, per ESPN’s standings: Giants 5-3-1, Dallas Cowboys 4-5, Commanders 3-5-1, Philadelphia Eagles 2-7.

For the Giants, a win would have given them a firmer grip on the division. Instead, they outgained Washington 399 yards to 340 and still lost, with a missed field goal and two turnovers, NBC Sports reported.

What happens next

Both teams get extra rest after the Thursday game. The Giants host the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, Nov. 22, at 4:25 p.m. ET, and the Commanders host the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football on Nov. 23 at 8:15 p.m. ET, according to AP and ESPN’s NFL schedule. For earlier coverage, see our recap of Washington’s Monday night loss in San Francisco, and for live channels during big news nights, visit the LiveNewsWorld Watch Live hub.

Frequently asked questions

Who won Commanders vs Giants on Thursday Night Football?

The Washington Commanders won 24-21 at MetLife Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, according to ESPN’s scoring summary and AP.

Who scored the game-winning touchdown?

Stefon Diggs caught a 32-yard touchdown pass from Jayden Daniels with 57 seconds left, according to ESPN’s play-by-play.

Who holds the Commanders vs Giants tiebreaker?

Washington does. The teams tied 27-27 in overtime on Oct. 11 and the Commanders won Thursday, giving them a 1-0-1 head-to-head record, AP and NFL.com reported. Head-to-head record is the first NFL tiebreaker between two division teams. Our explainer on how NFL overtime works covers how regular-season games can end in a tie.

Where can I watch Commanders vs Giants highlights?

The NFL’s official video of the game’s ending is embedded at the top of this article. The league and both teams also post highlights on their official channels.

Sources