Brian Daboll got his wish, but the Giants still lost.
Greg Joseph, playing in his second game as the Giants' kicker, made all five of his field goals in a 20-15 loss to the Cowboys on Thursday, based on what Daboll said this week. .
Unlike two weeks ago, when the Giants lost their command, not every field goal was more than multiple touchdowns.
Joseph was in the spotlight after missing a 48-yard field goal that could have ended last week's win against the Browns with less than two minutes left.
Daboll initially wasn't going to (or wouldn't) commit to him earlier in the week.
However, the Giants guaranteed Joseph three weeks' salary by removing him from the Lions' practice squad, and it's clear they don't have faith in rookie Jude McAtamny, who is on the practice squad.
“The most important thing is for the team to win, and we couldn't do that tonight,” Joseph said. “One kick doesn't define me. It never will. Up and move on, short memory.”
Daboll's high expectations for his kicker are no joke.
In an interview with Giants.com, when asked if there was a minimum field goal percentage he would accept as a kicker, Daboll answered: Take advantage of every scoring opportunity we have. ”
Well then.
Joseph's kicks of 52, 41, 38, 22, and 42 yards allowed the Giants to recover some points from four long drives of at least 11 plays each.
Even Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey, who shot the 60-yarder and started his career 16-for-16 from 50 yards or more, was bound to be impressed.
“I feel like I have to be Greg Joseph,” Joseph said. “They’ve done a great job of letting me know that they know who I am, what I stand for and how I work, and I’m not going to change that. Process over result.”
The biggest decision Daboll faced was whether to continue the offense down the field for fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line on the first possession of the third quarter.
When he called for a run on second-and-goal from the 10, he appeared to think it was fourth-down territory, but Daboll made a run to close the 14-9 deficit to 14-12. , acted uncharacteristically conservative.
“At that moment, I was trapped,” Joseph said. “When a field goal is called, my job is to go and take the kick.”
Joseph, an 82 percent kicker in his career, was added after the Giants' loss to the Commanders in Week 2 due to an unforeseen loss when the already-injured Graham Gano pulled his hamstring on the opening kickoff. This is because the situation was not in the team's favor.
The Giants passed two PATs in the fourth quarter, including one that would have increased their lead to four points, and then made a 40-yard potential game-winning field goal just before the two-minute warning.
The managers won 21-18 with seven field goals.
Joseph showed that the Giants don't have to find themselves in that situation again, at least as long as Gano remains on injured reserve.
