The Giants had to play much of Sunday night’s game without a field goal kicker.
Minutes before the opening kickoff in their 22-9 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Giants announced that kicker Graham Gano was questionable to play due to a groin injury.
Gano did not appear in the game until the fourth quarter, when his 25-yard field goal with 10:12 remaining cut the Giants’ deficit to 16-9.
“It’s frustrating,” Gano said afterward. “I felt great coming into the game. Had a really good pregame warmup and just, ‘Boom.’ ”
Gano, 38, suffered the injury as he warmed up during the defensive introductions portion of the pregame festivities, head coach Brian Daboll said.
His absence impacted the game immediately.
Even though punter Jamie Gillan was available to kick in Gano’s place — and has done so before — Daboll went for a 4th and 3 from the Chiefs’ 28-yard line on the Giants’ first offensive drive.
Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton batted down Russell Wilson’s pass at the line of scrimmage for a turnover on downs, and that set the tone for a frustrating night for the Giants without Gano available to put easy points on the board for a stretch.
Daboll said he “would have” kicked a field goal there, had Gano been available.
“The fourth downs change throughout the game considerably, so we just had to make sure we were dialed in with that,” Daboll said.
Gillan attempted an extra point after Cam Skattebo’s 13-yard rushing touchdown late in the second quarter, which would have given the Giants a 7-6 lead, but his kick was blocked.
Gano told the coaches he would be available to attempt a kick within 40 yards in the second half. He appeared to hunch over after his only field goal attempt of the night.
“I was in a lot of pain,” Gano said.
This is the third time in three seasons that a kicker injury has done in Daboll’s Giants.
In Week 2 of last season at Washington, Gano aggravated an injury on the game’s opening kickoff. Gillan missed an extra point after the Giants’ first touchdown. Daboll unsuccessfully went for two after the Giants’ second and third TDs. And the Giants lost, 21-18.
In Week 8 of the 2023 season against the Jets, Daboll had an injured Gano attempt and miss a 35-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter. And the Giants lost in overtime, 13-10.
Gano is 6-for-6 on field goals and 4-for-4 on extra points this year.
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