Jameis Winston Barks Cadence in Giants Loss to Commanders

Unusual fourth down trick

New York Giants quarterback Jameis Winston tried a unique tactic to fool the Washington Commanders on Thursday night. Late in the fourth quarter of a 24-21 loss at East Rutherford, New York faced a fourth down with 1 yard to go from their own 11 yard line. Holding a 21-17 lead with just over three minutes left, the Giants sent their offense back out to make it look like they would go for it.

Instead of calling a normal play count, Winston barked out lyrics from the famous song, Who Let the Dogs Out? He screamed the line at the line of scrimmage, finishing with an emphatic Who! Who! in hopes of making the Washington defense jump offsides.

Failed attempt leads to punt

The trick did not work. The Commanders stayed disciplined and did not move. New York accepted a 5 yard penalty and punted the ball away with 3:27 remaining.

Winston explained after the game that he was simply trying to get them offsides. He admitted he came up with the idea himself because the chant had a nice ring to it. He also mistakenly credited the song to the Black Eyed Peas rather than the Baha Men.

This was not a random decision on the field. The Giants had actually practiced using the song hook as a cadence to throw off defensive timing. Winston said defenses often try to jump the rhythm, so they created the strategy hoping to draw a penalty.

Harbaugh supports the tactic

Head coach John Harbaugh confirmed he knew Winston planned to use the chorus at that moment. Harbaugh said he was not seriously planning to go for the first down so deep in New York territory.

Harbaugh noted that teams sometimes jump in those situations, which was the entire idea behind sending the offense out. He credited the Commanders for playing with good discipline and staying still.

Quarterbacks often use unique words or phrases at the line of scrimmage, such as Peyton Manning using Omaha or Dak Prescott saying Here we go! While the barking tactic failed to earn a first down, it gave fans a memorable moment in a tough defeat.