The New York Giants vs. Washington Commanders’ Week 2 matchup was a showdown of two of the worst teams in the NFL. While the Carolina Panthers already look like clearly the league’s biggest bottom-feeder, the Giants and Commanders don’t exactly project to be powerhouses, either. Both of these teams badly wanted to win on Sunday if only because there likely won’t be many opportunities for wins all year.
Giants kicker Graham Gano was put on the injured report on Saturday with a groin injury. Gano looked uncomfortable during warmups, but New York didn’t elevate another kicker to the active roster.
Gano hobbled off the field on the opening kickoff, and was eventually ruled out. The Giants had punter Jamie Gillan handle kicking duties, but he entered the goal with only three field goal attempts in his career. New York didn’t trust him enough to actually let him kick a field goal in this game, and it came back to cost them.
The Commanders beat the Giants, 21-18, without scoring a touchdown. Washington made seven field goals to account for all of its scoring only five days after signing kicker Austin Seibert.
The Giants had a chance to kick the go-ahead field goal with just about two minutes left in regulation. With the ball on the Washington 22-yard-line, the Giants decided they couldn’t trust Gillan with a reasonable field goal, and decided to go for it. QB Daniel Jones found an open Malik Nabors for what would have been a first down, but he dropped it:
Giants can’t convert the 4th down attempt and Jayden Daniels will receive the ball in a tie game with 2 minutes remaining in the game.
ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?! pic.twitter.com/Lalrpz5nWW
— Chad Ryan (@ChadwikoTWW) September 15, 2024
If Gano was healthy, that’s an easy field goal opportunity. It’s a huge failure on Giants management for not having another place kicker on the active roster, especially because New York only had 52 active players on Sunday, one short of the NFL limit.
Giants fans were losing their mind with the poor roster management.
Graham Gano was added to the injury report on Saturday. Giants did NOT elevate Jude McAtamney. Now Gano is hurt and the Giants have no kicker.
Giants have 52 men on their active roster (plus two elevations) today, so they were already playing one short.
How? HOW?
— TheGiantsWire (@TheGiantsWire) September 15, 2024
Graham Gano was added to the injury report long before this game. We saw what happened last year when Gano tried to play through an injury. For Brian Daboll not to have a legitimate backup kicker on the roster today is inexcusable.
— The Entertainah (@TheEntertainah) September 15, 2024
The giants rostering 52 players and not having kicker is going to single handedly lose them the game.
Terrible roster management by Schoen
— The Met Man▫️#NYMWSC24 (@WILPONSmustSELL) September 15, 2024
Imagine being so financially strapped with the salary cap that you played this game with 52 knowing your kicker was banged up.
Roster management at its finest— Mike C (@GiantsMC66) September 15, 2024
Whoever is responsible for not signing the backup kicker to the active roster after knowing that Gano had an injury all week should be fired. We only had 52 players NOT 53 on the roster for the game. A total embarrassment. Malpractice & Incompetence. Good grief. Pathetic.
— Skye Luque (@LuqueMeatSauce) September 15, 2024
After being hurt on the opening kickoff, Gano could barely walk:
At least this was cute:
The Giants could have won this game if they cared enough to put another kicker on the roster. Instead, New York blew a golden opportunity for one of its few victories of the season.
When everyone in charge of the Giants eventually gets fired, remember this moment.