Commanders vs. Giants: 3 Takeaways From Washington's Tie vs. New York

The Washington Commanders and New York Giants each had their chances before the game ended in a tie.

Few things in sports are more confusing than a tie.

Should you feel happy? Or should you be upset? In the case of the Washington Commanders and New York Giants, their 20-20 tie should garner both feelings.

The tie wasn’t due to a lack of opportunities. Both teams had their chances before shooting themselves in the foot.

The Giants and Commanders were in the playoff picture before they played on Sunday. With the tie, New York stayed in the sixth seed, while Washington fell to eighth behind the Seattle Seahawks. The tie makes their meeting in Washington on Dec. 18 even more important because of the tiebreaker implications.

Here are the three biggest takeaways from the divisional matchup ...

Penalties Cost Commanders

The Commanders had the ball for 41 minutes and 11 seconds, outgained the Giants by 95 yards and ran 17 more plays than New York. Washington would take that stat line, especially on the road against a divisional opponent.

What undid Washington was seven penalties for 56 yards. Penalties on Logan Thomas and Cole Turner each negated first downs in Giants territory in the second half. Both drives ended with no points.

In a divisional game that comes down to the final seconds, those penalties were potentially the difference between a tie and Washington winning in regulation.

Feed B-Rob

Brian Robinson Jr. is quickly making a case as the second most important skill position player on the Commanders.

He had 21 carries for 96 yards and was consistently breaking tackles. Robinson was also automatic on short-yardage situations, getting four first downs with three yards or less to gain.

If Robinson can continue to run as he did against New York, he’ll make Washington’s offense more well-rounded and dangerous.

Taylor's Toughness

For most of the second half, Taylor Heinicke was under pressure every time he dropped back to pass. He was sacked five times and stripped twice by Azeez Ojulari — one of which was recovered by New York.

But when Washington needed Heinicke most, he converted on fourth down and connected with Jahan Dotson for a 28-yard game-tying touchdown with 1:53 to play.

If Washington does make the playoffs, that drive is a moment that can’t go unnoticed. 

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