The Washington Commanders put together a great drive at the end of the first half on Sunday against the New York Giants in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season.
They couldn't finish, though.
A costly intentional grounding by Jayden Daniels prevented the Commanders from getting any points on the board.
Here's why:
Why Jayden Daniels' intentional grounding ended first half, cost Commanders 3 points
The Commanders called for a Daniels run after their last timeout with less than 30 seconds to go in the half.
Daniels ran straight up the middle for about 9 yards before being tackled inside the 10.
At that point, it was scramble mode. The Commanders sprinted to the line, looking like they knew what play they were going to run.
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But when the ball was snapped to Daniels with about 10 seconds until the half, no one was immediately open, and Daniels threw the ball away.
The problem? Daniels, under a bit of pressure, threw the ball near absolutely nobody.
The clock stopped on the incompletion, but a flag was thrown for intentional grounding.
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And with the clock having been running before that play, and the Commanders having no timeouts, it resulted in a 10-second runoff. From three seconds to halftime.
Washington didn't get to attempt a field goal.
So instead of a potential 21-3 or 17-3 halftime lead, it was 14-3.
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