The Washington Commanders didn't lose, but as head coach Dan Quinn said at the podium, "It feels like a loss."

"I'm gutted for our team," Quinn added.

The Commanders had multiple opportunities to take their first division win of the season against the New York Giants, from holding a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter to getting into field goal range in the final minute of overtime. But time ran out for the Commanders before they could secure a victory and instead walked off the field with a 27-27 tie.

"We were giving a lot of [opportunities] tonight to go find our win in all three phases, and we did not seize them," Quinn said.

In many ways, the Commanders checked off several of the necessary boxes to get a win. Jayden Daniels returned to the field and looked like his normal self, accounting for 302 total yards and two touchdowns. Jacory Croskey-Merritt had 82 yards on 11 carries, one of which went 33 yards for a touchdown. Terry McLaurin led the team with 64 receiving yards, and the defense forced two turnovers, bringing their total to seven in three weeks.

But the Commanders struggled with capitalizing on moments that could have sealed the game for them, and most of the attention has been on the final sequence of the afternoon. The Commanders ran a play at the Giants' 24-yard line with no timeouts left in overtime and could not spike the ball in time for Drew Stevens to hit the game-winning field goal. While it was not the only factor that led to the tie, it was the one that caused the most frustration.

Daniels, several of his teammates and Quinn were asked about the moment after the game, and each of them took the blame.

"We just have to be better," Daniels said. "We all have to be better. Situational football. Starts with me. Everybody will say the same thing, but we have to be better at situational football."

Quinn placed the blame on himself.

"I don't even have to put him into that spot," Quinn said of Daniels. "I can do that earlier, and we can finish the kick early. We don't need to gain more yards, so that's on me. I'm saying we don't need to gain anymore. We were just trying to gain more and we don't need to."

Perhaps one of the most disappointing factors about the result is that there were flashes of the vision Washington had for itself heading into the season.

Daniels' health was the main talking point heading into the game, but with a brace on his left arm, Daniels was dynamic and got off to the hot start the Commanders have searched for. They moved 69 yards in four plays on the Commanders' opening drive with passes to Chig Okonkwo covering a total of 34 yards, culminating with Croskey-Merritt's touchdown.

The Giants got on the board with a 51-yard field goal, but the Commanders responded with a drive that got to the New York 9-yard line. However, pre-snap penalties -- an issue the Commanders have been trying to iron out -- moved them back to the 19 and later forced them to kick a field goal of their own.

The Commanders tacked on another field goal with a minute left before halftime, and after a missed attempt from the Giants -- one of three for Dominic Zvada on the day -- the score was 12-3 after two quarters.

Daniels continued to look impressive in the second half. After another Giants field goal to open the third quarter, Daniels broke loose for a 38-yard rushing touchdown to put the Commanders up by 13. The Giants responded with a three-yard touchdown to Isaiah Likely, helped in part by a pass interference call on Amik Robertson that moved the Giants from the Commanders' 10-yard line, but Daniels came through again with a 26-yard rushing score that capped off an 81-yard drive. Daniels connected with McLaurin for a two-point conversion to make the score 27-13.

"Man coverage and no spy," Daniels said. "So, try to make them pay for it."

But the Giants were not down, and while the Commanders' offense cooled off, Jameis Winston completed 10 of his final 13 passes of regulation and tossed two touchdowns to tie the game in the final two minutes and force overtime.

"I do recognize how hard the guys battled for it even towards the last play to say, 'Okay, this is desperation time to get the ball out,'" Quinn said. "But to have not the ability to go close it down, that's what you have to do. You have to go shut the door in that spot, and we did not."

The Commanders had two more chances to take the game in overtime. The Giants missed another field goal to open the extra quarter, and Daron Payne forced a fumble from Cam Skattebo at the Commanders' 24-yard line. They came up empty-handed on both, though, as they punted after getting near midfield and had the clock run out on the final play.

"I think this one stings a little bit more because we had it right in the position to have a chance to win the game," McLaurin said. "So, we did not get it done, and that falls on all of us. Ties are never good enough, but especially when we have a chance to give Drew a chance to get us a win, so that's a hard one."