Darius Slayton had been ill in the preceding days Sunday 20-20 extra time with Commanders at MetLife Stadium. Despite the illness, he was able to play and led the Giants with six catches for 90 yards. He had one of the few offensive plays of the day for his team, a 55-yard leaping catch in the second quarter that set up a Saquon Barkley touchdown.
Slayton also failed to make the play that would have made the Giants win.
The Giants got the ball with 1:45 left in regulation and almost got a little play to put them close to the field for the game-winning field goal attempt. Daniel Jones looked deep at Slayton down the left and Slayton was running free. He jumped on the ball, put it in his hands for a while but he didn’t catch it when it slipped from his body and it came off as he hit the ground.
“I had it and I lost it somewhere on the way down,” said Slayton, “I couldn’t protect it. I’ve got to find a way to get it in.”
Slayton, continuing his resurgent season, was able to deliver a very difficult catch in the second quarter, when he overthrew cornerback Christian Holmes and tackled Darrick Forrest on his 55-yard reception.
“As usual, DJ gave me the ball to play on,” Slayton said.
Slayton said he had to focus on staying hydrated at the end of the week and during the game.
“I’m sick,” he said, “but I’m not dying.”
Graham Gano’s 58-yard field goal attempt in overtime fell short. He knew from his pre-match drills that such a long kick was beyond his range, given the conditions.
“When I was warming up, I hit 55 [-yard kick] hit the goal that way,” said Gano, who scored a 63-meter field goal against the Giants when he was with the Panthers. “The ball didn’t go that far that way. It’s December, it’s windy. I want it to go forward but I hit a good ball, I don’t regret the way I hit it. The distance did not have it.”
OLB Azeez Ojulari played for the first time since Week 4 and was uncompromising, with one sack and two quarterback tackles in a limited role off the bench. … The Giants played most of the second half and all of OT except for DT Leonard Williams, who was forced out with a neck injury. … LB Tae Crowder, who started earlier this season and has now been cut by special teams, took to Twitter after the game and wrote “Release me.” … Commanders QB Taylor Heinicke on the tie: “It’s so weird,” he said. “It feels like a loss, but it doesn’t count as one, so that’s the only good thing about this game.”
Odell Beckham Jr. will visit Monday with the Cowboys after meeting last week with the Giants and Bills. To date, Beckham has not received a contract, according to the NFL Network.
There were a few surprises among the seven inactive players. CB Darnay Holmes, who is in 11 games this season, was not in uniform. Coach Brian Daboll said Holmes is dealing with a shoulder injury. TE Lawrence Cager, the starter, was also inactive, as Daniel Bellinger returned after missing four games with an eye injury. WR Kenny Golladay, who suffered an illness late in the week, was scratched. … DE Chase Young, listed as questionable, was released by the Commanders coming off ACL surgery.
A hero
Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns. None of his 27 completions on 41 passes was bigger than a fourth-and-4 to cap a 90-yard touchdown drive.
Eggs
Head coaches Brian Daboll and Ron Rivera both played for a tie in overtime, and the Giants scored on fourth-and-3 and Washington enjoyed running out the clock in its only possession supported by its own end zone.
The Unerased Warrior
Azeez Ojulari had two quarterback hits, including a sack and a fumble recovery that gave the Giants only a second-half touchdown.
Key statistics
8 Field goals missed by Graham Gano in 90 attempts in three years with the Giants, but the eighth was a 58-yarder on the final play of the game.
Quote Of The Day
“It wasn’t planned, you just looked around like you didn’t even see it was over. It was like ‘Okay, ‘It’s over, everyone can go now.’ And we just went out.”
– Kayvon Thibodeaux on the feeling of the tie