The Washington Commanders somehow, someway pulled off a victory over the New York Giants on Thursday Night Football thanks to a late Stefon Diggs touchdown and a game-sealing interception from cornerback Rasul Douglas.
At 3-5-1, they're now only two games back in the NFC East.
However, it was a sloppy performance from start to finish, and Washington tried its hardest to give away points.
After two picks from quarterback Jayden Daniels in the fourth quarter, the Commanders can thank their lucky stars that they were able to escape.
Commanders' season-saving win said more about the Giants than it did about them
And if they're going to compete for the divisional crown, they're still going to need to be a lot better.
If the Giants hadn't tried to be heroes while only needing a field goal in the final minute of regulation, we're possibly singing a much different tune about this outcome.
This was a game in which Washington did itself no favors. However, head coach Dan Quinn's squad managed to pull it out because the opposition couldn't capitalize.
The Commanders gave the ball away twice in the fourth quarter, not including a turnover on downs that led directly to a go-ahead 66-yard Isaiah Likely score. False-start penalties remained an issue, and Washington tried its absolute hardest to find a way not to score a touchdown from the six-inch line before halftime.
Even the Commanders' highlight of the night, the 32-yard Diggs catch-and-run for the game-winning score, couldn't be celebrated with too much enthusiasm because of how much time he left the Giants in doing so.
But thankfully for the boys in burgundy and gold, the defense came through.
Commanders have a shot as the Giants' schedule gets tougher from here
Of course, a win is a win. And for the Commanders, they have to be grateful that, finally, they played a game where they made a few mistakes and it was still enough.
The Giants are not as good as their 5-3-1 record. They haven't beaten any team above .500. Their schedule gets tougher in the next four weeks, with games against the Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers, and Seattle Seahawks.
This is Washington's chance to pounce.
A home win next week over a surging, but still inconsistent Cincinnati Bengals team on Monday Night Football would go a long way. After that, it's two road contests at the Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans before returning home to play the Houston Texans and Atlanta Falcons.
The Commanders must win at least three of those five, if not four. And if they bring their best, they can.
Daronte Jones' defense is finding its groove. Daniels showed on Thursday that he's willing to take risks, which went horribly wrong at first but ultimately paid off. Hopefully, a Jacory Croskey-Merritt return can get Washington's run game going.
All season long, the Commanders have had to be perfect to give themselves a chance. Now, they finally won a game where they were less than perfect.
It wasn't pretty, and it won't be sustainable if Quinn's unit plays that way against better teams. But it will need to serve as a springboard for what's to come.
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