Welcome to Staten News — where the Giants had the lead, the clock and the division in their hands Thursday night, and handed back one of the three.
Jayden Daniels hadn't thrown an interception all season. At MetLife he threw two, three passes apart, on attempts 208 and 211 of his year. Jevon Holland got the first one. Ar'Darius Washington got the second.
Then he won the game anyway.
With 57 seconds left, Daniels found Stefon Diggs for a 32-yard touchdown, and Washington beat the Giants 24-21. Diggs walked into the end zone and fell backward for the 80th touchdown catch of his career. He's the 30th player in NFL history to get there.
🏈 How the Giants Let It Go
The Giants had this one. J.J. McCarthy hit Isaiah Likely for a 66-yard go-ahead touchdown midway through the fourth quarter. McCarthy finished with a career-high 293 passing yards in his first home start since the late-September trade from Minnesota, and Likely went for 127 receiving yards. Cam Skattebo ran for 78 yards and two scores.
What they couldn't do was kill the clock. A quarterback sneak ruled a first down got overturned on Dan Quinn's challenge, and the Giants kept punting the ball back to Daniels. When New York got one last shot, Rasul Douglas picked off McCarthy in the final minute.
The kickers explain the rest. Washington rookie Drew Stevens made a 46-yarder. Giants rookie Dominic Zvada missed a 33-yarder wide left, and he's now 8 of 14 since opening his career 9 for 9. In a three-point game, that's the whole margin.
Daniels finished 23 of 33 for 249 yards and three touchdowns, with Ben Sinnott and Antonio Williams catching the other two. He added 28 yards on 10 carries.
📊 What It Did to the NFC East
The Giants still lead the division at 5-3-1. Washington is 3-5-1, two games back, and now owns the tiebreaker after the teams tied last month. Dallas sits between them at 4-5. Philadelphia, held to 11 points by the Giants last week, is 2-7 with seven straight losses.
Translation: New York had a chance to bury the one division rival that has already proven it can hang with them. They handed Washington a tiebreaker instead.
The Giants get extra rest and host Jacksonville on Sunday, Nov. 22, where ESPN's early line already has the Jaguars favored by 6 at MetLife. Washington hosts Cincinnati on Monday, Nov. 23.
🗓️ The Weekend Board
Records from ESPN's standings, lines and totals from ESPN's Week 10 odds board as of Friday morning. All times Eastern.
Patriots (5-4) vs. Lions (6-2) in Munich, Sunday 9:30 a.m., Fox. Lions -2.5, total 49.5
Bills (7-1) at Jets (2-7), 1:00 p.m., CBS. Bills -8.5, total 50.5
Vikings (6-2) at Packers (6-3), 1:00 p.m., Fox. Packers -3, total 42.5
Chiefs (6-2) at Falcons (3-6), 1:00 p.m., CBS. Chiefs -3, total 47.5
49ers (7-1) at Cowboys (4-5), 4:25 p.m., Fox. 49ers -3.5, total 55.5
Steelers (6-2) at Bengals (6-2), 8:20 p.m., NBC. Bengals -3.5, total 49.5
Chargers (0-8) at Ravens (4-5), Monday 8:15 p.m. Ravens -4.5, total 38.5
🎯 Where the Money Should Be Looking
Start in the NFC North. Chicago is 7-2, Detroit and Minnesota are 6-2, Green Bay is 6-3. Every game inside that division is a tiebreaker. Vikings at Lambeau counts double, because Minnesota has dropped two straight and Green Bay has won two.
Sunday night settles the AFC North lead. Pittsburgh and Cincinnati are both 6-2 and both riding four-game win streaks, and the Bengals are laying 3.5 at home.
The number that jumps off the board is Chiefs -3. Kansas City is 6-2 with a +59 point differential. Atlanta is 3-6, -35, and has lost two straight. A team that good laying only a field goal against a team that bad is the book either respecting Atlanta's building or daring you to take Kansas City. The Chiefs are 2-2 on the road, so it might be the first one.
Dallas carries the highest total of the week, 55.5, for a reason. The Cowboys have scored 246 points and allowed 236 in nine games. San Francisco has allowed 156 in eight. Something gives.
Buffalo is 4-0 on the road and has won four straight. The Jets have lost four straight. That's the whole preview.
Then Monday night, the winless Chargers visit a Ravens team that has lost four in a row. Somebody's losing streak ends.
This is the week the NFC North starts eating itself.
Sources: ESPN Commanders-Giants recap, ESPN Week 10 schedule and odds, ESPN NFL standings
— The Bandicoots 🏈🔥