Brian Daboll got his wish, but the Giants still lost.
Greg Joseph, who entered his second game as Giants kicker with a tenuous grip on the job based on Daboll’s words this week, made all five of his field goals Thursday in a 20-15 loss to the Cowboys.
Unlike two weeks ago, when the Giants lost to the Commanders, all field goals did not beat multiple touchdowns.
After missing a 48-yard field goal that could have closed out last week’s win against the Browns earlier than the final two minutes, Joseph was on the hot seat.
Daboll initially wouldn’t commit to him (or not commit to him) at the start of the week.
But the Giants guaranteed three weeks of salary to Joseph by signing him off the Lions practice squad, and it is clear they don’t yet trust rookie Jude McAtamney, who is on their practice squad.
“Most important is the team winning, which we didn’t do tonight,” Joseph said. “One kick doesn’t define me. It never will. Head up, onto the next one, short memory.”
Daboll’s high expectations for kickers are no joke.
Asked by Giants.com if there is a minimum percentage of made field goals that he will accept for a kicker, Daboll said: “I’d like to hit all of our field goals. Capitalize on every scoring opportunity that we have.”
Well then.
Joseph’s kicks of 52, 41, 38, 22 and 42 yards allowed the Giants to salvage some points from four long drives of at least 11 plays apiece.
Even Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey, who booted a 60-yarder and started his career 16-for-16 from 50-plus yards, had to be impressed.
“I just feel like I have to be Greg Joseph,” Joseph said. “They’ve done an awesome job letting me know they know who I am, what I stand for and how I work. I’m not going to change that. Process over results.”
The biggest decision Daboll faced was whether or not to keep the offense on the field for fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line on the first possession of the third quarter.
It looked like he might be thinking of it as four-down territory when he called for a run on second-and-goal from the 10, but Daboll went uncharacteristically conservative to cut a 14-9 deficit to 14-12.
“I’m just locked in at that moment,” Joseph said. “When they call the field goal, my job is to go make the kick.”
Joseph, who is an 82-percent kicker throughout his career, was added after the Giants lost to the Commanders in Week 2 because they had no contingency when an already-injured Graham Gano pulled his hamstring on the opening kickoff.
The Giants passed on two PATs, including one that could’ve opened up a four-point fourth-quarter lead, and a potential go-ahead 40-yard field goal just before the two-minute warning.
The Commanders won, 21-18, on seven field goals.
Joseph at least showed that the Giants won’t have to be in that situation again for as long as Gano is on injured reserve.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
