Washington Commanders cornerback Antonio Hamilton Sr. has a couple of dates circled on his calendar each year. While there are always games the 32-year-old looks forward to, it's not the dates of division games or matchups against one of his six former teams that Hamilton has his eyes on.

Surprisingly, the 10-year veteran never misses both the NFL Combine and draft each year.

While most tune into the events out of curiosity, hoping to glean information on new talent joining the league, Hamilton watches for motivation. A walk-on first at University of Pikeville and then South Carolina State University, the closest Hamilton came to a Combine experience was posting times at his Pro Day.

"I've always kind of been like an overlooked guy," Hamilton said. "I was even a walk-on in college as well, so that keeps me going. And honestly, it's such a thing that's so small, but the NFL Combine and the draft is one of those things I watch every year, and I never got the opportunity to partake in them. So, when I watch them, it gives me an extra little bit of fire, and that extra little bit of drive to keep going.

"As old as I am, it's still just something about it when I hear it, see it, it just ticks me off and makes me want to work harder. Just so I can get that opportunity even though it will never come."

Even though he knows that his Combine invitation will never come, Hamilton uses his status as an undrafted free agent as motivation to play his best. Bouncing around to five different teams before landing in Washington, Hamilton has taken a majority of snaps on special teams and acted as a depth player on defense for the Commanders this season. He's become accustomed to patience and making the most of an opportunity when it arises.

With an injury to cornerback Jonathan Jones ahead of Sunday's game against the New York Giants, Hamilton was tapped as a starter.

"It's one of those things that God can use those that are less than, too," Hamilton said. "I'm a big guy in my faith, and my Heavenly Father, and He has done it time and time and time again, He's used the weakest or those that have always been overlooked, and He's put them on a pedestal. That's one of the things that I'm thankful for, that God still chooses to use me, and I make sure that I do the right things with that light that He gives me."

In his first start in two years, Hamilton had a breakout defensive performance in the Commanders' 29-21 Week 15 win. He was tasked with covering Darius Slayton on the outside, one of the Giants' fastest receivers, and they tested him early.

From the Commanders' 33-yard line and facing a third-and-6 situation on the Giants' first offensive series of the game, quarterback Jaxson Dart threw a deep ball for Slayton. Hamilton had him blanketed and the pass fell incomplete, forcing the Giants to try for a field goal that they ultimately missed.

Hamilton's two biggest plays of the day, however, came when the Commanders needed it most. With 20 seconds left in the third quarter, Hamilton punched the ball out of Slayton's arms in the end zone to prevent a touchdown. The Giants failed to convert and missed the ensuing field goal attempt, meaning Hamilton had a large hand in preserving Washington's eight-point lead.

After two fumbles in a four-minute stretch that brought the Giants within striking distance with just two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Hamilton deflected a pass intended for Slayton on a third-and-long attempt.

"The game is fun, and I love to play this game," Hamilton said. "I've been playing this game for quite some time, and I've been a starter for some time, too. It just so happens it had been a while since I did it. So, it was an exciting moment just to get back out there and show the world that I still do this, regardless of if I'm doing it very often or not. That was the real, main focus. Just going out there and having fun and getting the win was the main thing. We got the job well done, so that's what it's about."

Hamilton played 56 defensive snaps against New York after playing just 31 through the first 14 weeks of the season. The entirety of the game, Hamilton allowed just two of seven targets to be completed for a total of 21 yards. He was also credited with two passes defensed and three solo tackles.

"It just gives us that nod of like, 'Yeah, we can still do it,' and we're still doing it," Hamilton said of last week's win. "This league is hard; it's an any given Sunday type of league and we have the guys, we just have to double down on our execution when we go down there because we play fast, we play physical, and we want to out-effort everybody, but we just have to do it right. And when we do it right, we get the results. So, showing ourselves and our fans and everybody else that is watching that we can still do this too no matter how it is we have out there on the field, we've just got to execute."

Ahead of the Commanders matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday, Hamilton was named one of three captains. There's nobody else better to lead the Commanders in their second of four divisional matchups that round out the season; it's a game they're coming into overlooked as an underdog -- something Hamilton knows well.

"It's like let's keep going," Hamilton said. "We have a given of three games left and we want to go out there and execute at a premium. And it doesn't matter how much I play, how much I don't play, and how much anybody plays but the ultimate goal is to win, and that's what we want to do with these following three weeks, and we just want to show that we're still those guys. That's our extra motivation."

At the end of the day for Hamilton, the main goal is winning. Although the Commanders have been knocked out of the postseason, a divisional win still means something. Washington's fate over the next three games has a direct impact on the NFC East standings and could even determine who gets a postseason bid.