Graham Gano News

Gano was selected as a Pro Bowl alternate on the strength of his accurate kicking during the campaign. Among other things, he went 8-for-9 on field-goal attempts from beyond 50 yards, finishing with his most makes from that distance in his 13 seasons as a pro. Gano struggled at times with his accuracy early in his career, but he's since become one of the league's most reliable kickers, making 132 of 143 (92.3 percent) of his field-goal tries over the past five campaigns. Gano has one year remaining on his current contract and figures to be the Giants' primary placekicker again next season.

The Giants rested many of their starters for the contest, but they still hung close to an Eagles team with a first-round bye on the line. Gano gave New York its first points with a 24-yard field goal in the third quarter and converted an extra point with less than two minutes remaining to pull the Giants to within six, but his ensuing onside kick was recovered by Philadelphia to effectively end the contest. Gano finished the regular season with a 29-for-32 mark on field-goal tries, marking the third time in the past five seasons he's hit over 90 percent of his attempts. When the Giants take on Minnesota in the wild-card round next weekend, it will be the veteran kicker's first postseason appearance since 2017.

Gano wasn't challenged much in the blowout win, as his lone field-goal try came from 36 yards out. Still, the veteran came through on that attempt as well as on all five of his extra-point tries to help the Giants earn a playoff-clinching victory. Over the past three weeks, Gano has converted all six of his field-goal tries and eight of his extra-point attempts.

Gano did all he could to try to help New York to victory, coming through on a trio of field-goal tries after halftime. He hit a pair of 44-yarders in the third quarter, then nailed a big 55-yarder with less than seven minutes remaining in regulation to pull the Giants to within a point. That make was his eighth (on nine attempts) from beyond 50 yards this season, establishing a new career high.

Points were at a premium in the primetime divisional clash with significant playoff implications, so Gano's ability to convert when called upon was a major factor in New York's victory. The veteran kicker nailed a 50-yard field goal late in the third quarter to give the Giants an eight-point lead, then hit another 50-yarder with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth to push the team's lead back up to eight. Gano has hit 24 of 27 field-goal tries on the season and has gone 7-for-8 from 50-plus yards. The seven makes from that distance tie the single-season career-high mark he set last season.

Gano was hampered by a lopsided affair that saw Philadelphia post a 20-point lead by the end of the third quarter. When the fourth period came around, the Giants elected to go for a 4th-and-8 on the Eagles' 23-yard line instead of turning to the veteran kicker, eliminating what would have been his lone field-goal try. He didn't even get a chance at a third extra-point, as New York tried (and succeed on) a meaningless two-point conversion with 39 seconds left in the contest. Gano will look for more opportunities against Washington in Week 15.