Two interceptions, two empty possessions: Giants let Washington escape

The Giants intercepted Jayden Daniels twice in the fourth quarter Thursday night. Each time, their offense went three-and-out. Washington kept getting the ball back, and Stefon Diggs finally turned the last of those chances into a 32-yard touchdown with 57 seconds remaining. The Commanders won 24-21 at MetLife Stadium.

That is the failure at the center of this loss. New York had the lead, two late takeaways and enough offensive production to build a winning night. It could not turn either interception into the sustained possession that would have made Washington’s comeback harder. The Giants fell to 5-3-1; the Commanders improved to 3-5-1.

The defense supplied two chances to finish

J.J. McCarthy’s 66-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Likely put the Giants ahead 21-17 with 8:13 left. Likely finished with nine catches for 127 yards, giving New York both a dependable target and the explosive play that changed the lead.

Jevón Holland intercepted Daniels with 5:27 remaining. After New York failed to move the chains, Ar’Darius Washington supplied another takeaway with 2:15 left, intercepting a fourth-and-two pass from the Commanders’ 45. The Giants again went three-and-out. Those were separate opportunities to take control of the ending, and both disappeared.

Daniels then found Diggs for the winning touchdown. McCarthy’s final attempt to recover the game ended when Rasul Douglas intercepted a pass intended for Malik Nabers with 25 seconds left. Daniels finished 23-for-33 for 249 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Diggs caught six passes for 83 yards.

A productive night that left points behind

McCarthy completed 23 of 36 passes for 293 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Cam Skattebo ran 18 times for 78 yards and two touchdowns, adding 44 yards on three catches. Those performances explain why the Giants were positioned to win; they also make the two empty late possessions more costly.

New York had already shown it could sustain a drive. Its first touchdown completed a 16-play, 72-yard possession that consumed 7:48. Skattebo finished it with a one-yard run. Closing a game required another stretch of useful offense, even if it did not end in points.

Earlier mistakes reduced the margin for error. Dominic Zvada missed a 33-yard field goal wide left in the first quarter. Nabers lost a fumble at Washington’s 20 after a 37-yard reception. A kickoff out of bounds following Likely’s touchdown put the Commanders at their 40. The late sequence was decisive, but New York had surrendered chances before it reached that point.

The division lead survives; the opportunity does not

The Giants remain first in the NFC East. The official standings list Dallas at 4-5, Washington at 3-5-1 and Philadelphia at 2-7. Thursday was New York’s first division loss, according to the club. A lead in that race makes protecting winnable home games especially valuable.

The next scheduled game is Jacksonville at MetLife on November 22, at 4:25 p.m. Eastern. The offensive review has a specific place to begin: what happened immediately after the two fourth-quarter interceptions. New York had already produced the scoring plays and takeaways. It needed the first downs that would connect them to a win.