LANDOVER, Maryland — The disaster was so predictable that any seasoned New York Giants watcher could see it unfold in real time.
Washington’s Austin Ekeler broke through a crowd and fired into open court on the opening kickoff of the Giants’ 21-18 loss on Sunday. The long return forced Giants kicker Graham Gano to give chase, which ended in disaster.
Gano pulled his hamstring when Ekeler flew past him into the end zone. The touchdown was called back due to a holding penalty, but Gano was left writhing in pain on the field.
Losing the kicker on the first play of the game would have been just one more addition to the list of bad breaks that have plagued the Giants during their endless streak of incompetence if there hadn’t been a sense that it could have been avoided. But Gano had been added to the injury report Saturday with a groin injury, and he was in enough discomfort during pregame warmups that he disrupted his usual routine and retreated to the locker room to have his groin wrapped.
The Giants thus had ample time to devise a contingency plan for their disabled 37-year-old kicker. The most obvious solution was to sign kicker Jude McAtamney off the practice squad on Saturday, so that he had a ready-made insurance policy.
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But even if the Giants opted not to advance McAtamney, they still could have added a protection after Gano’s inconsistent warmup routine. Punter Jamie Gillan could have filled in on kickoffs to save Gano for field goals and extra points, eliminating any chance of chasing returners for 40 yards.
Because it’s the Giants, those decisions came back to haunt them in the worst way possible. Gillan, who had made 1 of 2 field goal attempts in his six-year career, missed the extra point after the Giants’ first touchdown, so coach Brian Daboll opted to attempt 2-point conversions after the team’s last two scores. Daboll also avoided a 40-yard field goal on fourth-and-4 with just over two minutes left in a tied game.
Both 2-point attempts failed, and the lone low point came from rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers, a monstrous 10-catch, 127-yard, one-touchdown performance with a drop on fourth down. The Commanders drove down the field after Nabers’ drop and kicked the winning field goal. In a cruelly poetic twist, Austin Seibert, who Washington signed on Tuesday, went 7-for-7 on field goals Sunday.
In a game decided by three points, the Giants failed three extra-point attempts due to Gano’s injury and missed a potentially game-winning field goal because Daboll didn’t trust Gillan.
“We thought Graham was going to be OK,” Daboll said. “He got hurt chasing a (rider). It was a hamstring injury. He didn’t hurt his groin.”
These are the kinds of catastrophes that lead to a coach being asked about his future two games into his third season. Daboll was asked if he worries about his job security if results don’t change.
“I’ve been doing this for a long time. My focus is on our football team,” Daboll said before taking a long look at the reporter who asked the question.
Brian Daboll is asked if he is concerned about his job status:
“My focus is on our football team” photo.twitter.com/YmxGs7YGqU
— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) September 15, 2024
That was Daboll’s only irritated moment during his press conference, which he opened by praising his team’s competitiveness, the play of quarterback Daniel Jones and the improvements made after a 28-6 loss to the Vikings in Week 1. Daboll had clearly calmed down after slamming his headset on the ground while Seibert made the winning shot with a 30-yard field goal, splitting the uprights as time expired.
It’s remarkable how quickly things have turned around for Daboll. He was named coach of the year 18 months ago after a surprisingly successful debut season. But the Giants are 6-13 since the start of last season and 9-18-1 since the middle of Daboll’s first season.
The touch he had in his first season is gone. In its place, too many missteps have been made, with personnel blunders such as Gano’s mismanagement becoming an alarming trend.
Incredibly, the Giants have gotten themselves into this situation before of gooseThe kicker struggled with a left knee injury early last season, but he continued to kick until he missed two field goals in a 13-10 overtime loss to the Jets in Week 8. Gano was sidelined after that game and underwent season-ending knee surgery.
There was a similar blunder last week with returner Gunner Olszewski, who suffered a groin injury in training for the second pre-season game. Olszewski had limited training leading up to Week 1 but was considered ready to play. He re-injured his groin in the pre-game warm-up and will miss at least four weeks after being placed on the injured list on Saturday.
The Giants were without an experienced returner despite Olszewski battling a groin injury for three weeks, so wide receiver Darius Slayton was forced to serve as punt returner. Slayton failed to cleanly field his initial return and subsequently dropped the ball, only to have it recovered by a teammate.
What’s troubling about these mistakes is that they’re almost entirely at the hands of Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen. They’re not the same as allowing the Commanders, led by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, to convert on 50 percent of their third downs or rush for 215 yards. Those are disappointing results, but there are several factors at play.
But determining the game day lineup is something any fantasy football owner can handle, and getting McAtamney active wasn’t a complicated puzzle either.
The Giants used their two practice squad elevations on linebackers Ty Summers and Tomon Fox. That duo didn’t play a defensive snap, but was on the field for every kickoff, kickoff return and punt return. Could the Giants have used other players already on the active roster for those 13 plays? Sure, but even that wasn’t necessary.
The Giants had just 52 players on their 53-man roster after placing Olszewski on IR on Saturday. So they could have signed Summers to the 53-man roster and used an elevation on McAtamney, an undrafted rookie signed by Rutgers.
The Giants would have had to put another player on sabbatical. They likely would have survived without their No. 5 defensive tackle Jordon Riley playing a handful of snaps, mostly at the cost of not having a backup plan for Gano.
“All decisions that are made are mine,” Daboll said, before later adding that decisions about the selection are a collective process with Schoen.
“I can’t tell you he’s going to get injured chasing a 100-yard kickoff return that’s overturned.”
Brian Daboll with more on the Graham Gano situation: photo.twitter.com/7ZEqqkueJz
— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) September 15, 2024
These kinds of blunders are typical of a sloppy operation overall. The benefit of the doubt from the unexpected success of this regime in its first year has faded. Now Daboll must figure out how to pull the team out of this spiral.
The first two games of the season would be the simple part of the schedule. As bleak as things have become for the Giants during this miserable decade, they could at least count on beating Washington. Now that even that is off the table, it’s hard to see where the wins will come from.
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Daboll has the task of finding that answer. Games like Sunday undermine confidence in his ability to do so.
(Photo: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
