Commanders Daily: Washington Was Last in the NFL on Third Down. What Changed Against the Giants?

The Washington Commanders entered Thursday's game with the New York Giants dead last in the NFL in third-down efficiency, at 31.13%. Just four days earlier, they had only converted 3-of-12 against the Rams. Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said those stalled drives were keeping Washington from getting enough chances to run the ball. Against the Giants, the Commanders converted 7-of-14 third downs. Quinn went into the game knowing what he wanted: "Sustain some drives, convert some third downs, get into it again, and that'll be an important part of this week for us to do that."

All three of Washington’s touchdowns came on third down. Jayden Daniels found Ben Sinnott from the Giants’ 1 with five seconds left before halftime, giving the Commanders a 10-7 lead. In the third quarter, Antonio Williams took a short pass on third-and-one and turned it into a 31-yard touchdown to put Washington back in front. The last one came after Daniels threw interceptions on consecutive possessions, only for the Giants to go three-and-out both times. Facing third-and-four from New York’s 32, Daniels found Stefon Diggs, who made a defender miss and scored with 57 seconds left to give Washington a 24-21 lead.

Jayden Daniels hits Antonio Williams and let's him do the rest! Third and inches turns into a thirty one yard TD for Washington. pic.twitter.com/hrkZ5m6T45
— The Goal Line Grind (@theGLgrind) November 13, 2026

There’s a detail behind those seven conversions worth a closer look. Six came with one yard to go, including Sinnott’s third-and-goal touchdown. Diggs’ score on third-and-four was the only other one. Washington didn’t convert a third down needing five yards or more, so getting into manageable spots on first and second down mattered. A four-yard run and a five-yard catch by Diggs set up Williams’ third-and-one touchdown. Daniels was also sacked just once after the Giants got him five times in the October tie. Nick Allegretti started the game at center with Lucas Patrick out, although the sack totals alone don’t tell us how much of that difference came from the change.

Washington ran the ball 33 times Thursday, gaining 105 yards. Daniels accounted for 11 attempts and 28 yards, and the offense still went 0-for-2 on fourth down. That’s a lot to clean up for a team that needed all three touchdowns to beat New York. Cincinnati is coming to town November 23, giving Quinn and offensive coordinator David Blough 11 days to build on what worked. Their next test is whether Washington can still move the chains on third down when it needs more than four yards.

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