The Giants have a situation regarding their kicker for Sunday’s matchup against the Chargers, but it won’t be Graham Gano taking the field.
Head Coach Brian Daboll announced on Wednesday that Gano, who suffered a groin injury, will miss the game in Week 4. He’s likely to be on the sidelines for Sunday night’s encounter after being “defensively introduced,” whatever that means.
Competing for the kicking job this week are Jude McAtamney, who’s already part of the practice squad, and Younghoe Koo, who the Giants just signed on Tuesday.
Koo, the 31-year-old ex-Falcon, was released by Atlanta on Friday after being a kicker for over six seasons. In the Falcons’ season opener against the Buccaneers, he managed to convert only two of three field goal attempts. He missed a chance for a 44-yarder and was benched in Week 2 in favor of Parker Romo, who performed well, going 5-for-5 in a win against the Vikings.
Interestingly, Koo missed nine out of 34 field goal attempts last year. Still, he’s a former professional bowler who was successful on 89.9% of his field goals from 2019 to 2023. It’s a mixed bag, really.
McAtamney, age 25, didn’t get much time with the Giants, only attempting a single field goal last season.
As for Gano, he had to finish the third week under tough conditions, leaving the team in a tough spot without a kicker for many plays. He did manage a 25-yard field goal during a 22-9 loss, but it felt reminiscent of last season when he injured his hamstring on the very first play against the Commanders, which significantly impacted the team’s chances in a tight 21-18 defeat.
