The Washington Commanders will not end the year on a 12-game losing streak. With Sunday’s 29-21 win over the New York Giants, Washington’s eight-game losing streak was over. In true Commanders‘ fashion, they didn’t make it easy, almost fumbling away a 15-point lead midway through the fourth quarter. After back-to-back fumbles, the Giants had the ball in Washington territory, but the Commanders forced a turnover on downs, entering victory formation for the first time since Week 5.

It was a relief for the players and coaches. A season decimated by injuries and much more, the Commanders continued to fight, which is a credit to head coach Dan Quinn.

Here are six takeaways from Washington’s Week 15 win over New York.

Have a day, Antonio Hamilton

Injuries have hit Washington hard this season. The cornerback position, especially, has been besieged by injuries. Hamilton, a 32-year-old veteran, entered Week 15 having only played 34 defensive snaps this season. He almost doubled that on Sunday. Hamilton was everywhere, recording three tackles and breaking up at least two passes. Hamilton was as aggressive as any Washington cornerback we’ve seen all season. Whether he broke up a pass or not, his presence impacted incompletions. You could make a strong case that Hamilton was the Commanders’ defensive MVP in this game. Hamilton was signed in August, released, and re-signed to the practice squad. He was signed to the 53-man roster on Oct. 1.

This team has a fumbling problem

The Commanders fumbled four times on Sunday. Fortunately, rookie right tackle Josh Conerly Jr. was on the scene to recover two of those fumbles. Three different players fumbled, with quarterback Marcus Mariota fumbling twice. Mariota’s second fumble came almost at the midway point of the fourth quarter, with Washington driving to put the game away. The Giants recovered, eventually scoring a touchdown and making it a one-score game. Running back Jeremy McNichols fumbled on the Commanders’ next possession — New York recovered. Fortunately, Washington’s defense stopped Jaxson Dart and the Giants to preserve the win.

Washington has fumbled 20 times this season. Jayden Daniels rarely ever fumbles, but his fumble against Chicago cost the Commanders a game. Mariota has fumbled six times this season, losing three. That’s in only seven starts. In total, Mariota has appeared in 10 games. McNichols, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Daniels, Mariota, rookie wide receiver Jaylin Lane, Deebo Samuel and Zach Ertz have all fumbled this season. This is an area the Commanders need to clean up. For a mistake-ridden team, this is something you can fix.

Terry McLaurin’s impact

McLaurin caught three passes for 69 yards, including a 51-yard touchdown. McLaurin dictates how teams defend Washington. He’s the only receiver on this roster capable of doing that. While Washington’s passing defense wasn’t electric on Sunday, it would have been nothing without McLaurin and Ertz (lost for the season after last week’s injury). His touchdown came later as the Commanders were trying to hold off a Giants’ rally. Washington badly needs to add a difference-making wideout opposite McLaurin this offseason. It would make him even more dangerous and would also be critical in aiding Daniels’ continued development. Lots of injuries for the Commanders this season, but the ones to Daniels and McLaurin have most impacted the 2025 season.

Kicker Jake Moody’s day

Jake Moody made all three field goals in his third game for Washington. He has yet to miss a field goal. However, he did miss an extra point. While some would accurately point out that it was that type of inconsistency that led the 49ers to move on from him initially, let’s consider the conditions. The Meadowlands are often horrible for kickers. Sunday was no exception. Giants kicker Younghoe Koo missed both of his field goal attempts, while Moody was perfect. Moody also saw a kick go out of bounds. Again, consider the conditions. If you had told the Commanders that Moody would make all three field goal attempts on the road at MetLife Stadium, everyone would be happy. Moody is now 5 of 5 on field goal attempts and 3 of 4 on PATs. Moody needs a strong finish to the season to show Washington he should go into next season as the team’s kicker. He’s off to a good start.

Big game for Bill

It feels like we’ve been waiting a while for rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt to have a big game. Since he ran for 61 yards against the Bears in Week 6, Croskey-Merritt hasn’t gone over 38 rushing yards in a game. From Weeks 7-14, Croskey-Merritt has combined to rush for 206 yards on 65 attempts. That is less than four yards per attempt after a strong start to the season. On Sunday, Chris Rodriguez Jr. was inactive. Bill took advantage, carrying the ball 18 times for 96 yards and a touchdown. He ran hard, made defenders miss, ran over defenders, and always gained positive yardage. The Commanders want to see Croskey-Merritt finish strong. Croskey-Merritt is the most talented back on the roster, and Washington’s offensive line continues to gel, particularly in run blocking. Bill now has 646 rushing yards, 4.5 yards per carry and five rushing touchdowns. That’s not bad for a rookie seventh-round pick with three games remaining.

Only 1 target for Ben Sinnott

There wasn’t a lot to look forward to in Washington’s final four games. The Ertz injury was devastating. However, there was one bright spot: second-year tight end Ben Sinnott was in line to receive more snaps. Sinnott played a lot against the Giants, but had only one target. He caught it for 36 yards late in the fourth quarter with Washington trying to ice the game. Mariota trusted Sinnott in a critical situation, and the young tight end delivered. In his two seasons, Sinnott now has 10 receptions for 105 yards and two touchdowns. While those numbers aren’t impressive, consider that Sinnott has only had 10 targets. So, if the ball comes his way, he’s going to catch it. How about more balls coming his way over the final three games?