The game almost started with a bang when running back Austin Ekeler took the opening kickoff all the way back for a touchdown, but a holding penalty on linebacker Nick Bellore forced the Commanders to their own 27-yard line early in the drive.

From there, Daniels led his offense down the field, getting to the Giants’ four-yard line before a false start penalty on tight end Ben Sinnott pushed them back and kicker Austin Seibert made a 27-yard field goal that gave Washington an early 3-0 lead.

The drive lasted more than nine and a half minutes and the Commanders needed 16 plays to score the first point.

Another special teams penalty – again against Bellore – gave New York excellent field position for its first drive, which began at its own 47-yard line.

Daniel Jones took the field for the first time and, aided by an explosive 28-yard catch-and-run by rookie receiver Malik Nabers on third-and-12, the Giants also scored on their first drive. Their only touchdown was a seven-yard run by running back Devin Singletary. After a missed extra point by New York punter Jamie Gillan, who was kicking in place of the injured Graham Gano, the lead was only 6-3.

Once Daniels was back on the field, he and the Washington offense picked up where they left off and started another long drive, this time taking five and a half minutes of play and ending with another Seibert field goal, tying the game at 6-6.

The Giants’ second possession lasted five plays and ended in a punt, forcing Daniels and the Commanders’ offense back onto the field at their own 18-yard line to begin their third possession. And for a moment, things looked pretty bad, then they got better – but also worse.

On 3rd and 13 from his own 15-yard line, Daniels escaped the pocket and ran toward the first down marker. The good news was that he gained the yards he needed. The bad news was that he was hit hard by two New York defenders and remained on the ground after the play ended.

He only missed one play, but the moments when Daniels was on the floor were some of the quietest we’ve ever heard in this stadium.

Back on the field, Daniels orchestrated another long 13-play drive that eventually led to Seibert’s third field goal of the half, giving Washington a 9-6 lead with less than two minutes left in the half.

With the ball back, just over a minute and a half on the clock, and timeouts in the bag, Jones and the Giants went back to work, looking for a one-on-one by scoring before the end of the half, knowing they would get the ball back early in the second half.

More missed tackles by the Commanders defense helped New York achieve what they wanted, and after gaining a 21-yard gain, Nabers took the ball to the 13-yard line where Jones took it to the four with 17 seconds left and another timeout in his possession.

With 12 seconds left, on the third and first attempt from the same spot, Jones came out in shotgun stance, dropped back to pass and found Nabers completely free in the end zone for New York’s second touchdown of the game.

Not surprisingly, the Giants entered the field with a three-way duel that was in no way inferior to Washington’s defense with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

New York went for two but couldn’t make it, and the score is 12-9 as we head into halftime at Northwest Stadium.

READ MORE: Commanders need the biggest secondary improvement in Week 2

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