Jayden Daniels lies on the ground in a modified supine position, legs resting on the ottoman-sized body of Giants defensive tackle D.J. Reader. The Commanders’ quarterback looks left and then right, awaiting the piercing sound of a referee’s whistle, which never comes. Rachaad White offers a hand to help Daniels to his feet in the way one would assist a grown adult out of a hot tub and not, as the ticking clock suggests, with the urgency of a person engulfed in flames and in need of a hose.
After hundreds of rewatches, it appears second-year offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. is the first to notice that one of the most cardinal sins in the NFL is about to be committed and begins rotating his hand, suggesting the team needs to speed up and return to the football for a spike before time expires in field goal range. Daniels changes his default speed to fast-forward and, even then, at least one of the Commanders’ offensive linemen is looking up at the scoreboard, perhaps, in an effort to figure out why none of the Giants’ defensive linemen are set and instead waving their hands in the air.
