In a rain-soaked NFC East showdown that ended in the season’s first tie, New York Giants quarterback Jameis Winston earned strong praise from head coach John Harbaugh after engineering a late rally that salvaged a 27-27 draw with the Washington Commanders.
The Giants trailed 27-13 late in the fourth quarter before mounting a comeback that forced overtime.
Winston finished 33 of 54 for 326 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, giving New York a chance to steal a win on the road.
A late fumble by running back Cam Skattebo inside field-goal range derailed that opportunity, and the Commanders then mismanaged the final seconds of overtime, allowing the clock to expire without a game-winning attempt.
Speaking afterward, Harbaugh highlighted Winston’s second-half adjustment.
“I thought he was amazing in the fourth quarter. I thought he was amazing in the second half. I thought his ability to come out and change like that, we changed our offense up, we tried some different things, and he really settled into the things we did offensively, and he was amazing,” the coach said.
He quickly added perspective on Winston’s early struggles.
“First half, he wasn’t, and he’ll be the first to tell you that, but that’s on everybody,” Harbaugh said. “I’ll tell you guys, nothing good is all the one person. We’re all responsible for all the good, and we’re all responsible for all the bad, or the not good. So, he’s right in the mix of everybody else.”
Harbaugh went further in a personal exchange, noting that he pulled Winston aside after breaking a huddle and told him “what he showed out there was really remarkable.”
The comments reflected both the coach’s appreciation for Winston’s resilience and the collective nature of the Giants’ performance.
Winston has now started three games since Jaxson Dart suffered a season-ending injury in Week 2, posting a 2-0-1 record.
The Giants acquired J.J. McCarthy earlier as insurance, yet Winston’s recent play—including this outing against a division rival—has kept him under center. The team returns home next week to face the New Orleans Saints, Winston’s former club.
While Winston remains an imperfect passer prone to volatility, his ability to keep the Giants competitive and produce in critical moments drew clear respect from Harbaugh.
In a game defined by mutual mistakes in overtime, the veteran’s second-half production stood out as one of the few bright spots that prevented a loss.
