Graham Gano
(Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

The New York Giants suffered a heartbreaking defeat at the hands of the Carolina Panthers as Graham Gano kicked a game-winning 63-yard field goal with 0:01 remaining in the game.

Jason Leach

Whether athletes want to admit it or not, some losses hurt more than others. On Sunday afternoon, the New York Giants suffered one of the most crushing defeats imaginable when Graham Cano kicked a 63-yard field goal to give the Panthers a 33-31 victory.

The loss was reminiscent of the Giants 27-24 Week 3 loss to the Eagles last season as rookie kicker Jake Elliott kicked a 61-yard field goal as time expired.

Just 1:07 earlier, the Giants took the lead and ended their dubious streak of 37 consecutive games of not scoring 30 points on a Eli Manning 15-yard touchdown pass to Saquon Barkley to put them up 31-30.

But the Panthers responded by driving 30 yards on eight plays to set up Cano’s game winner.

The loss is especially tough considering the fact the Giants scored 30 points for the first time since the 2015 season finale and Odell Beckham Jr. scored a touchdown for the first time in 364 days. Beckham also threw a 57-yard touchdown to Barkley in the second quarter for the Giants first touchdown of the game.

They also battled back from a 27-16 deficit to take the lead in the fourth quarter.

But it’s hard to take away any positives when you lose in the fashion that the Giants lost. When you’re 1-3 heading into a game, you need a win in the worst possible way, and the Giants were unable to get the win.

The Giants started the game flat especially on defense as they were missing tackles left and right and allowed receiver Curtis Samuel to break several tackles on his 25-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter.

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After being criticized all week for not throwing the ball downfield against the Saints, Manning challenged the Panthers secondary often and completed 22-of-36 passes for 326 yards and two touchdowns.

But he did have two critical interceptions on two consecutive drives in the second half. The first one took potential points off the board as the Giants were at the Panthers 25 and Manning was trying to connect with Beckham but was intercepted by Mike Adams at the 14-yard line.

While the Giants will admit they could have played better, they had several calls and missed calls go against them that affected the outcome of the game.

The most noticeable call to go against them came in the fourth quarter with 14:09 remaining with the Panthers having the ball on their own 41 yard line and facing a 3rd-and-13. Cam Newton was trying to connect with wide receiver Devin Funchess. Landon Collins and Michael Thomas converged to defend the pass, but Collins was penalized for hitting a defenseless receiver.

It was a horrendous call. Collins was trying to intercept Newton’s pass, and his shoulder inadvertently hit Funchess. Five plays later, the Panthers scored a touchdown to give them a 27-16 lead.

After the game, many players expressed their frustration on the officiating in the locker room and on social media.

The Giants now find themselves 1-4 and must rebound quickly as they take on the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday Night Football. The Giants have lost their last three meetings to the Eagles and need to find a way to come up with a win to keep their season alive.

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Jason Leach
https://elitesportsny.com
Jason's first love was football while growing up in northern New Jersey. For the past three years, he has covered the New York Giants, as well as several boxing events along the East Coast.

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