Jayden Daniels gets first NFL win as Commanders beat Giants

Style points — not to mention extra points — were at a premium when the Washington Commanders and New York Giants squared off in an early-season NFC East matchup.

Commanders running back Austin Ekeler took the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown … only for the play to be nullified by a holding penalty. While the touchdown didn’t ultimately count, the sequence was hugely impactful because Giants kicker Graham Gano pulled his hamstring in pursuit of Ekeler and left New York without a kicker.

On the other sideline, many Commanders players were still learning their new kicker’s name. Fortunately for them, Austin Seibert set a franchise record with seven made field goals, giving him more converted field goals than days with the team (six). Seibert’s memorable debut lifted Washington to a 21-18 victory at the newly named Northwest Stadium, giving both head coach Dan Quinn and quarterback Jayden Daniels their first win in burgundy and gold.

Washington came into the game on a league-worst seven-game home losing streak and had lost their last nine games overall. Had the kicker situations for both franchises not been so extreme, the Commanders might still be searching for their first win of the 2024 season. But, as they say, an ugly win is still a win. The Giants now earn the distinction of becoming just the second team in NFL history to score three touchdowns, not allow a touchdown and still find a way to lose the game.

The Commanders finished the day with 425 yards of offense, but five false-start penalties in six red zone possessions forced the team to continually settle for field goal attempts instead of touchdowns. Daniels completed 23 of 29 attempts for 226 and picked up 44 yards on 10 carries. Running back Brian Robinson Jr. set a career high with 133 rushing yards on 17 carries. Cornerback Benjamin St-Juste created the game’s only turnover with a well-timed punch to dislodge the ball from Giants running back Devin Singletary. Aside from holding on field goal attempts, punter Tress Way had the day off — with zero punts on the day.

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