Commanders part of bizarre history in win over Giants

Thanks to an injury on the opening kickoff to Giants kicker Graham Gano, Washington’s opponent was limited in how they could score. Punter Jamie Gillan attempted an extra point on the Giants’ first touchdown but missed badly, and from that point on, they abandoned the kicking game altogether. That resulted in two failed two-point conversion attempts on their later touchdowns, and a costly turnover on downs inside the red zone late in the game.

The Commanders, meanwhile, got their points solely from the leg of Austin Seibert, who was added to the roster just this past week after Cade York was cut following an 0-of-2 performance in the season opener. On all seven of their drives, Washington marched into Giants territory but stalled out, forcing Seibert to salvage three points. He was a perfect 7-of-7 on the day (a franchise record), with the final one coming as time expired to win the game.

Washington’s rushing attack was a major difference-maker, with Brian Robinson Jr. accounting for 133 yards on the ground while Daniels added 44 and Austin Ekeler had 38. Daniels survived a brief injury scare and seemed more aggressive as a passer, attempting 29 throws compared to 24 last week. He was an efficient 23-of-29 for 226 yards through the air and got plenty of the team’s weapons involved.

Ultimately though, the game came down to a simple math equation: seven is a bigger number than three. Generally, that logic is a description of why touchdowns are more valuable than field goals, but on Sunday it was referring to scoring opportunities. The Commanders scored seven times, each for three points, while the Giants scored three times, each for six points.

With a rebuilding roster, the Commanders may need to take their wins any way they can get them in 2024. Sunday’s victory happened to be in a way that had never been done before.