Stats and Snaps – NFL Week 5: Giants @ Commanders

I count myself among the more optimistic Washington Football fans since Josh Harris took over ownership from the Shrek villain. Nevertheless, last Sunday's failure to beat the Giants strained my ability to keep a positive outlook, even more than the previous week's loss to the Colts.

The reason for that was the team's sheer determination to avoid winning, despite multiple advantages working in their favor and opportunities left on the field.

The failure of clock management in the final series of the game has been discussed at length, so there is no need to re-litigate that here. However, even prior to the Commanders possessing the ball on the Giants' 24 yd line, with 12 sec remaining in overtime, the franchise was working hard to find ways to deny itself the victory.

In the two games prior to Sunday's embarrassing 27-27 overtime tie with the Giants, the Commanders' run blocking collapsed, leaving them unable to establish a running game with lead back Bill Croskey-Merritt. Against the Giants, the run blocking was much improved – not just due to the return of Sam Cosmi to the line-up, but across the board. In the first half, Bill rushed for 51 yds and a TD, averaging 7.3 Y/A. For some reason, the Commanders turned away from the run in the second half and overtime, giving Bill just 4 touches in 3 quarters of football, and none in overtime – even as he increased his average 7.8 Y/A in the second half.

The mid-game adjustments on defense mirrored those on offense. Warren Sharp of Sharp Analytics has pointed out how the Commanders switched coverage from a scheme which was working in the first half, and allowed Jameis Winston to lead a comeback:

For what seems like an eternity, Washington fans have been wishing for a coaching staff with the ability to make adjustments when game plans aren't working. Against the Giants, they inexplicably adjusted game plans which were working, with predictable results. It was the type of effort which gets coaches fired.

The tie gave the Commanders sole possession of last place in the division, with a 1-3-1 record. Head coach Dan Quinn is running out of opportunities to turn the season around. Hopefully, he and his coaching staff have learned the lessons which can be drawn from the disappointing tie, which should have been a win.

Despite the result, there were some flashes of promise which the team might be able to build on against the 49ers, including standout performances by Jayden Daniels (up to the last play), Bill Croskey-Merritt, Sam Cosmi, K'Lavon Chaisson, Daron Payne, Sonny Styles and Amik Robertson and great plays from many of their teammates.

With key players like Nick Cross and Trey Amos potentially returning from injury, the heat under Quinn's seat might provide the motivation he needs to lift his game and take the fight to the heavily favored 49ers.

But before we get ahead of ourselves, let's take a final look at who played where, who stood out, and who showed areas for improvement in the Commanders' tie with the New York Giants.

Stats & Snaps Going on Hiatus: The Stats and Snaps will be taking a two week holiday, and will return after the Eagles game on November 1. In its place, I will be doing a 1/3 season stats roundup of the Commanders' players during the week before the Eagles game.

These plays had the largest impact on teams' scoring potential within a drive, as judged by Expected Points Added (EPA). Threshhold: EPA = +/- 2.25

Q3, 7:56, 2 nd and 6 at NYG 38: Jayden Daniels scrambles up the middle for 38 yards, touchdown. EPA 4.22

Q4, 11:13, 3 rd and 2 at NYG 26: Jayden Daniels scrambles left tackle for 26 yards, touchdown. EPA 3.86

Q1, 13:07, 1 st and 10 at NYG 33: Jacory Croskey-Merritt up the middle for 33 yards, touchdown. EPA 3.62

Q2, 0:07, 4 th and 10 at WAS 39: Dominic Zvada 57 yard field goal no good. EPA -2.72

Q1, 7:15, 4 th and 12 at WAS 32: Dominic Zvada 50 yard field goal no good. EPA -2.84

OT, 8:01, 4 th and 8 at WAS 28: Dominic Zvada 46 yard field goal no good. EPA -2.92

OT, 2:00, 1 st and 10 at WAS 24: Cam Skattebo up the middle for no gain. Cam Skattebo fumbles, recovered by Shy Tuttle at WAS-24 (tackle by Sonny Styles). EPA -4.45

Q2, 2:09, 2 nd and 8 at NYG 47: Jameis Winston sacked by K'Lavon Chaisson for 8 yards. Jameis Winston fumbles (forced by K'Lavon Chaisson), recovered by Tim Settle at NYG-28 and returned for 1 yard. EPA -5.43

Q4, 7:24, 4 th and 8 at WAS 17: Jameis Winston pass complete short middle to Isaiah Likely for 17 yards, touchdown. EPA 4.69

Q3, 5:35, 4 th and 4 at WAS 43: Jameis Winston pass complete short right to Tyrone Tracy for 21 yards. EPA 3.71

Q3, 1:47, 3 rd and 9 at WAS 10: Jameis Winston pass short middle is intercepted by Amik Robertson at WAS-1 and returned for no gain. Penalty on Amik Robertson: Defensive Pass Interference, 9 yards. EPA 3.67

Q4, 1:48, 1 st and 10 at WAS 17: Jameis Winston pass complete deep middle to Malik Nabers for 17 yards, touchdown. EPA 2.56

Q1, 10:23, 3 rd and 13 at NYG 40: Jameis Winston pass complete short left to Isaiah Likely for 15 yards. EPA 2:42

Q3, 0:47, 3 rd and 3 at WAS 3: Jameis Winston pass complete short right to Isaiah Likely for 3 yards, touchdown. EPA 2.28

OT, 0:15, 2 nd and 8 at NYG 24: Jayden Daniels sacked by Tremaine Edmunds for no gain. EPA -3.57

A big question on Jayden Daniels ' return from injury was whether he would be able to run with a brace on his left arm. The Commanders' star QB answered that one by leading the team in rushing, with an impressive 103 yds, 2 TDs and 4 first downs in 9 attempts (11.4 Y/A; 55.6% success rate). His rushing total was the 7 th highest in Week 5 at any position, and he was one of three players with over 100 rushing yds and 2 rushing TDs.

JD5 was also effective in the air, completing 17/25 attempts (68%, ADOT 8.2 yds) for 199 yds, 0 INT and 0 TD (40% success rate). He was sacked 5 times for 23 yds and faced 15 total pressures (40.5% of dropbacks), per PFF, but did a good job of protecting the ball and avoiding turnovers.

His mental lapse on the last play of overtime did negate an opportunity to go for a game winning field goal. But that is not recorded on the stat sheet.

Daniels was also penalized 5 yards for delay of game in overtime.

Aside from those mistakes, Daniels had an excellent game. His 80.9 total QBR ranked 5 th best among starting QBs in Week 5.

Advanced rushing stats (YBC, broken tackles) were sourced from PFR

Jacory Croskey-Merritt was curiously second in playing time, despite being by far the most effective running back in the game. Bill bounced back from a string of unimpressive performances to post his best game of the season, toting the rock 11 times for 82 yds (7.45 Y/A), 1 TD and 4 first downs, with 1 broken tackle. His 63.6% rushing success rate was the 5 th highest among NFL players in Week 5 (min 10 attempts).

Bill got most of his action in the first half (7 att, 51 yds, 1 TD), got light duty in the second half (4 att, 31 yds), and did not get a touch in overtime.

Bill's rebound most likely had a lot to do with a big improvement in run blocking, as measured by PFF grades (see OL, below). Consistent with that take, he averaged a whopping 5.3 yards before contact/attempt this week, up from 0.4 YBC/att against the Colts and 1.0 YBC/att against the Seahawks.

Rachaad White had 9 carries for 18 yds and no first downs (2.57 Y/A, 42.9% success rate), while averaging just 1 YBC/att. He caught his lone target as a receiver for 2 yds.

White was penalized 5 yds for a false start in the 2 nd quarter. It was just the second penalty of his career.

A week after averaging 7.25 Y/A on 4 carries against the Colts, Austin Ekeler plummeted to 3 attempts for -1 yd, and -0.3 YBC/att. He caught his only passing target for 15 yds.

Advanced receiving stats were sourced from PFF.

Making an early return from a hamstring injury, Terry McLaurin led the team in receiving yards, catching 4/4 targets for 62 yds (100% rec, ADOT 9.8 yds). As we have come to expect, he was 2/2 on contested targets. Terry was the Commanders' third-most productive receiver, at an impressive 2.21 Y/RR.

Antonio Williams played predominantly in the slot this week, marking a departure from previous weeks, when he split time more evenly between the slot and wide out. Williams caught 3/3 targets for 31 yds (ADOT 7.0 yds), and had modest productivity (1.11 Y/RR).

Treylon Burks caught 2/5 targets for 26 yds (40% rec, ADOT 9.0 yds). His productivity was on the low side (0.96 Y/RR). On a more positive note, Burks posted the highest run blocking grade on the team (76.6).

Dyami Brown caught 1/2 targets for 2 yds. Van Jefferson was not targeted on 1 receiving route.

Chig Okonkwo 's return to the lineup brought some visibility back to the TE group, which seemed to have gone missing for the past few weeks. Chig was close behind Terry with 60 receiving yards on 4 receptions and 6 targets. He was the Commanders' second-most productive receiver at 2.40 Y/RR, and led the team with 34 yards after the catch. He was second on the team in average YAC, at an impressive 8.5 YAC/rec, but well behind Austin Ekeler at 13.0 YAC/rec.

John Bates caught his lone target for 1 yard. He was also penalized 5 yds for a false start in the 2 nd quarter.

If PFF run blocking grades are to be believed, Ben Sinnott had his best game of the season as a lead blocker. His 72.1 run blocking grade was the 4 th highest on the team, and well above his 52.3 season average.

Pressure counts and run blocking grades were sourced from PFF.

This is the first game of the season when all five offensive linemen have played 100% of snaps at their primary positions.

LT Brandon Coleman had a rough afternoon against EDs Kayvon Thibodeaux and Abdul Carter. He allowed 2 sacks and 2 QB hurries in 37 pressure opportunities. Coleman's 10.8% pressure rate allowed is about twice what you would hope to see from a starting OT. On the bright side, his 73.8 run blocking grade was third-highest on the team, and represented a major recovery from the lowest grade of his career posted last week against the Colts.

Coleman committed a false start (5 yds) in the 2 nd quarter, as well as a holding call, which was declined.

LG Chris Paul allowed just 1 QB hurry in pass protection (2.7% pressure rate), which was consistent with his play this season. His 58.5 run blocking grade is a little below average for starting guards, but was his highest grade this season and a massive improvement over the second-lowest grade of his career posted last week.

C Lucas Patrick once again allowed 0 pressures in pass protection. That is not unusual for Patrick. According to PFF, he is riding the 3 rd longest active streaks without allowing a sack among NFL linemen. He has not allowed a sack in 1,031 pass blocking snaps, dating back to 2022. Patrick had a down week in run blocking. His 54.7 run blocking grade was a big drop from 73.0 against the Colts.

Sam Cosmi 's return to the lineup was a massive upgrade to the RG position over Matt Gulbin and Nick Allegretti. Cosmi allowed no pressures in protection. His 74.4 run blocking grade was the highest on the OL, and the 13 th highest among 73 guards in Week 5.

Like his bookend, Josh Conerly struggled at times against the Giants edge rushers. Like Coleman, he allowed 4 pressures (10.8% pressure rate). But unlike his teammate, Conerly did not allow any sacks or QB hits, only hurries. Conerly has graded well in run blocking consistently this season, with the lone exception of the Colts game last week. His 65.4 run blocking grade against the Giants was a little below his season average, but was a big improvement over his season low mark (44.6) in London.

Pressure stats were sourced from PFF and NFL official stats.

K'lavon Chaisson made 1 TFL, 1 sack, 2 QB hits, 3 QB hurries, and 1 forced fumble. His 17.6% pressure rate in the pass rush was above the 90 th percentile for edge rushers based on 2025 stats. His strip sack of Jameis Winston for a turnover in the 2 nd quarter was the biggest play of the game for either team, as judged by EPA (-5.43).

K'Lavon dropped into coverage 6 times (15% of pass plays), but there was disagreement on his coverage stats (PFF: 2/2, 20 yds; PFR: 1/1, 6 yds).

Dorance Armstrong made 1 tackle and 2 assists. In the pass rush, he registered 2 QB hits and 2 hurries (pressure rate 10.8%). He drew a 15 yd personal foul for a facemask in the first quarter.

Joshua Josephs made 1 tackle for a stop on a pass play. He dropped into coverage 6 times (40%) and was not targeted.

Odafe Oweh registered 1 QB hurry, per PFF. He drew a 15 yard personal foul for a facemask in overtime.

Daron Payne took over half of his defensive snaps at DE. He made 1 TFL, 2 assists and 1 FF. In the pass rush, he registered 1 sack for 13 yds and 2 QB hurries. His 6.5% pressure rate is a little below average for iDL.

In his first game back from injury, Deatrich Wise made 3 tackles, 2 of which were run stops. His 18.2% run stop rate is an elite figure for an iDL.

Javon Kinlaw made 2 tackle assists, contributing to 1 stop, and registered 1 QB hit.

Shy Tuttle made 2 tackle assists, contributing to 2 stops, and recovered the Cam Skattebo fumble in overtime. He generated 1 QB hurry in the pass rush.

Tim Settle made 1 tackle assist on a stop. He also recovered the fumble on K'Lavon Chaisson's strip sack.

Sonny Styles led the Commanders in combined tackles, with 4 tackles and 9 assists, including 1 TFL and 2 total stops. He generated 1 QB hurry in 12 blitzes. PFR counted 2 missed tackles, while PFF counted 3.

There was some disagreement on his coverage stats, which PFF recording 4 rec/4 tgt for 49 yds (0.92 Y/Cov Snp – not bad) and PFR recording 4 rec/5 tgt for 33 yds (0.62 Y/Cov Snp – great) and 1 TD. The NFL recorded 1 PD.

Frankie Luvu made 6 tackles and 3 assists, including 4 stops. His 12.5% run stop rate was above the 90 th percentile for LBs. He registered 1 QB hit and 1 hurry in 13 blitzes.

Luvu's coverage stats were wildly different between PFR (0.13 Y/Cov Snp – outstanding) and PFF (0.83 Y/Cov Snp – good).

The official snap counts show Kain Medrano on the field for 1 defensive play. But PFF did not see him, so it's unclear where he lined up. He did not appear on the stat sheet.

Rasul Douglas made 9 tackles and 1 assist, including 2 TFL.

There was some disagreement on his coverage performance, with PFR rating him as outstanding (4 rec/9 tgt, 39 yds, 0.63 Y/Cov Snp), while PFF saw him as a little more hit and miss (5 rec/9 tgt, 55 yds, 1 TD, 0.89 Y/Cov Snp). The official stats recorded 1 PD.

Rasul collected a 5 yd holding penalty in the 2 nd quarter.

Amik Robertson recorded 6 tackles, 1 assist, 2 run stops and 1 PD. Amik's 8.7% run stop rate is an elite figure for CBs. Through 5 games, Amik ranks 4 th among NFL CBs in total stops (12, tie with Kamari Lassiter) and 4 th in run stop rate (3.8%, min 100 run def. snaps).

There was significant disagreement over his coverage, with PFF rating him in the lockdown range (0.58 Y/Cov Snp) and PFR rating him about average (1.03 Y/Cov Snp).

Amik drew a questionable DPI penalty for 9 yds, negating an INT in the 3 rd quarter. He was also penalized 5 yds for holding in the 4 th quarter.

Mike Sainristil was back in action this week, playing predominantly in the slot. He recorded 2 tackles and 1 assist, with 1 stop.

There was consensus that he had another bad day in coverage, allowing 3 rec/5 tgt for 49 yds (1.58 Y/Cov Snp – below 10 th percentile) and 1 TD.

Fabian Moreau made 4 tackles, 2 stops and 1 PD in just 26 defensive snaps.

He was fairly leaky in coverage, allowing 4 rec/5 tgts for 33 yds in 24 coverage snaps (1.37 Y/Cov Snp – between 10 th and 25 th percentile).

Quan Martin made 3 tackles and 5 assists, with 1 stop.

While there was slight disagreement over the details, his coverage figures were pretty good (PFF 24 yds, 1 TD, 0.39 Y/Cov Snp; PFR 14 yds, 0.23 Y/Cov Snp).

Jeremy Reaves made 3 tackles, 2 assists, with 1 stop and 1 PD. PFR counted 1 missed tackle and PFF counted 2. He generated 3 pressures in 11 blitzes (27.3% pressure rate).

There was moderate disagreement over his coverage performance, with PFF rating him in the outstanding range in 52 coverage snaps (3 rec/6 tgt, 9 yds, 0.17 Y/Cov Snp) and PFR rating him as very good (3 rec/6 tgt, 33 yds, 0.63 Y/Cov Snp).

Drew Stevens was 2/2 on field goals from 28 and 40 yds. He was 1/2 on extra points. Through 5 games, he is 8/11 on extra points and 9/11 on field goals.

Rachaad White returned 4 kickoffs for 100 yds (25 Y/A) with a long of 32.

Luke McCaffrey returned 2 kickoffs for 41 yds.

Antonio Williams returned 1 punt for 2 yds and made 1 fair catch.

Colson Yankoff led the coverage units with 3 tackles.

Mike Sainristil and Javontae Jean-Baptiste had 2 tackles apiece.

Austin Keys made 1 tackle and 2 assists.

Luke McCaffrey made 1 tackle, 1 assist and 1 missed tackle.

Darren Hall and Isaac Yiadom made 1 tackle apiece.

There were no penalties on special teams this week.