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Aman Sharma

By Aman Sharma

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Jayden Daniels found Stefon Diggs for a 32-yard score with under a minute left, and the Washington Commanders escaped the New York Giants 24-21 in Week 10.

The win kept Washington, now 3-5-1, a pair of games back of the 5-3-1 Giants for the NFC East lead and swung the tiebreaker the Commanders’ way.

A defeat would have left Washington four losses adrift in the divisional chase. Instead, Daniels produced his first winning drive since the 2024 wild-card victory at Tampa Bay, and his top target had a nickname ready.

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Diggs, who hauled in the decisive throw, borrowed from a Lakers icon to describe his quarterback.

“Baby Kobe.”

“He’ll be the same player he is in the beginning of the game as he is in the end of the game,” Diggs said. “Things will happen good and bad and he isn’t going to change.”

The Giants displayed a cover zero blitz before the winning snap. Daniels signaled Diggs, who beat cornerback Dru Phillips on a slant and broke free. The receiver spun around at the 1, waited a beat and dropped backward for the score.

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - NOVEMBER 12: Jayden Daniels #5 of the Washington Commanders runs the ball out of bounds against Micah McFadden #41 of the New York Giants during the fourth quarter of the game at MetLife Stadium on November 12, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

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Daniels had thrown two interceptions, one at New York’s 24-yard line, before the Giants were forced to punt and Washington covered 71 yards in three plays.

“Got that out of my system, so got to move forward about that,” Daniels said. “It just shows resilience and the belief that the team had in me.”

Three of Washington’s previous four games were decided in the last 60 seconds, and the Commanders went 0-2-1 in them. During the 20-13 defeat against the Los Angeles Rams, they reached the 32 with eight ticks left and never took a shot at a touchdown.

After that loss, Daniels told ESPN he was “for sure” among the league’s quarterbacks facing the most scrutiny.

He finished 23 of 33 for 249 yards and three touchdowns. That made five straight starts since a left elbow dislocation cost him two games, his longest run since he started all 20 games as a rookie.

That 2024 season brought five game-winning drives and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Washington draws the division’s softest remaining schedule, and only three opponents left hold winning records. New York faces the Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers, and Seattle Seahawks in three of its next four, while the Commanders get the Cincinnati Bengals in prime time on Nov. 23.

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