The New York Giants and the Washington Commanders played a tightly contested divisional game earlier today. In the end, it was the Commanders who came out on top, winning by a final score of 21-18.
Surprisingly, it was the kickers for the Giants and Commanders who ended up having the biggest impact on the final score. Why was this the case? Read below to find out.
New York Giants K Graham Gano Leaves Game After Opening Kickoff
Today’s game had about as bad of a start as it gets for the Giants. On the opening kickoff, Giants K Graham Gano suffered a hamstring injury that caused him to leave the game. According to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team, he has dealing with a groin injury heading into this game. It is rumored to have been the cause of this sudden hamstring injury.
Because of this, the Giants ended up not having a kicker for the majority of this game. That ended up playing a crucial role in the Giants’ offense.
New York scored three touchdowns in the game. However, after one bad extra point attempt following the first touchdown, the Giants realized they could not rely on their emergency kicker for the rest of the game. As a result, they attempted two-point conversions on the following two touchdowns but failed both times.
If that was not enough, the Giants attempted a fourth down conversion rather than a 41-yard field goal when the game was tied late in the fourth quarter. However, rookie WR Malik Nabers dropped a crucial pass, which resulted in a turnover on downs.
Washington Commanders K Austin Seibert Makes 7 Field Goals
Austin Seibert had a big day for the Washington Commanders. He made seven field goals, which gave Washington the edge they needed to come out on top over the Giants. What is more remarkable is that he just joined the team Tuesday, after Washington decided to cut K Cade York.
Despite not scoring a touchdown, the Commanders’ offense did set up Seibert for success. That is because, of his seven field goals today, the longest one he had to make was 45 yards. Five of his made field goals had a distance of 30 yards or less.
Looking Back
While special teams was not the only factor that led to a Commanders win, it was certainly a large part of the equation. The winning side had a career performance from their kicker. Meanwhile, the losing side’s missing kicker ended up changing their entire offensive strategy. As a result, it is the Giants that are now 0-2.
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