Dec 4, 2022; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. (8) runs as New York Giants linebacker Jaylon Smith (54) defends during the first half at MetLife Stadium. — Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Giants, Commanders Knotted 13-13 at Halftime

Giants spot Commanders ten points thanks to two criticial mistakes.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Dec 4, 2022 2:21 PM EST

In this story:

East Rutherford, N.J. - The New York Giants are all knotted up with the Washington Commanders 13-13 at the half of their critical NFC East divisional matchup at MetLife Stadium.

Ten of Washington's 13 first-half points came as a result of Giants mistakes, all of which came in the first quarter of play.

Washington defensive tackle Jonathan Allen stripped the ball loose from Giants quarterback Daniel Jones's grasp at the Giants' 47-yard line, and linebacker Jamin Davis recovered it to set up a short field for quarterback Taylor Heinicke and the offense.

Ten plays later, which included a big 16-yard rush by Brian Robinson, Washington was on the board on Joey Slye's 21-yard field goal to give the Commanders an early 3-0 lead with 8:39 left in the first quarter.

Washington made it 10-0 on yet another Giants mistake, this one coming on a 3rd-and-4 pass from Heinicke to receiver Terry McLaurin. Giants cornerback Fabian Moreau went low against McLaurin, who evaded his tackle attempt and had a clear path to the end zone for the 19-yard score and the 10-0 lead.

The Giants finally got on the board in the opening minutes of the second quarter on kicker Graham Gano's 48-yard field goal to make it a 10-3 game.

New York then tied it up on their fourth possession of the half, a drive that saw three big plays. The first came when Jones connected with Darius Slayton on a 55-yard deep ball, Slayton doing a beautiful job to separate at the last minute from cornerback Christian Holmes to make the catch.

Jones picked up a first down on a 10-yard rush coming on a 3rd-and-7. Two plays later, running back Saquon Barkley, who recorded his third career 1,000-yard rushing performance on his second carry of the game, burst up the gut for a 13-yard touchdown to make it 10-10 game.

Commanders kicker Joey Slye's 42-yard field goal gave the Commanders the 10-3 lead with 2:28 left in the half. But the Giants methodically worked their way down the field on the final possession of the half to set up Gano's 27-yard game-tying field goal.

Barkley rushed for 60 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown in the first half, an average of 5.5 yards per carry. Jones went 10 of 11 for 87 yards (8.8 average) and was sacked once. Jones's lone incompletion came on the Giants' final drive when he spiked the ball to stop the clock.

Darius Slayton leads the Giants receivers with two receptions for 63 yards. The Commanders won the time of possession, 17:05 to 12:55.