The Giants‘ brutal overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers in Munich, Germany on Sunday was enough to make Big Blue fans scream, “Ach du lieber!” (Oh my goodness!), from the top of their lungs.
After Graham Gano kicked the Giants to a 17-17 tie with only seconds to play in regulation, the Giants won the coin toss in overtime and took possession right off the bat. But just 11 seconds into the period, Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. fumbled the ball deep in their own territory. Panthers linebacker Josey Jewell pounced on the loose ball and recovered possession for Carolina, putting them well within field goal range and needing only a score to win the game.
Moments later, Carolina kicker Eddy Pineiro put a 36-yard field goal right through the uprights, giving the rebuilding Panthers their third victory on the season — and sending the Giants to their eighth loss in 10 games.
“I’d say there’s certain things that we’re doing better. The record isn’t what it needs to be,” Giants head coach Brian Daboll said after the game, who remained hopeful Big Blue can find a way to turn things around in the last 7 games of the season.
“I believe we got the right people. Again, results aren’t there yet. We just lost a tough game,” he added. “Gotta tighten up a lot of things with situational football, the turnovers got us today.”
The Panthers took control of the game early in the first quarter, when QB Bryce Young threw to tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders for a 5-yard touchdown. Pineiro’s successful point-after kick gave Carolina a 7-0 edge. Just seconds into the second quarter, Pineiro made a 53-yard field goal to put Carolina up 10 points.
Young ended the game completing 15 passes out of 25 attempts, totaling 126 passing yards and one passing touchdown.
The Giants went scoreless in the first half after kicker Graham Gano missed a 43-yard field goal. Quarterback Daniel Jones, meanwhile, continued to demonstrate frustrating play with another interception in the first half that stymied a Big Blue drive.
New York finally got on the scoreboard in the third quarter when Tracy Jr. got loose through the defense for a 32 yard touchdown. Gano completed the extra point to keep the Giants within three points. With five minutes to go in the third quarter, the Panthers answered with seven more points of their own when running back Chuba Hubbard rushed in for a 1-yard touchdown to restore their 10-point lead. Hubbard had 18 carries for 103 yards with his touchdown on the day.
To start the fourth quarter, the Giants completed a lengthy 94-yard drive that concluded with Jones driving into the endzone for a 2-yard touchdown. Jones would end the day with 190 yards and completing 22 of 37 passes, but with 2 interceptions.
That possession had taken nearly seven minutes off the clock, giving the Panthers the ball back with 8 1/2 minutes to go up three points.
Carolina responded with a disastrous drive with penalties on the first two plays, then an untimely fumble by Hubbard that the Giants defense recovered. Despite getting the ball back and momentum, it quickly vanished when Jones threw an interception to Panthers linebacker Josey Jewell.
Both teams, among the worst in the NFL, then traded inept possessions before the Giants were able to get the ball back with just 2 minutes and 30 seconds on the clock. Jones drove them down the field into field goal range before Gano made the 42-yard game-tying field goal that forced overtime.
Then came the costly fumble in overtime that ruined the Giants’ chances. Tracy Jr., the rookie who scored the earlier touchdown and rushed for 103 yards, had a fine game before the fumble did him in. He was left in tears on the sidelines as Carolina kicked their way to victory.
“It’s hard. I put a lot into this game, blood sweat and tears,” said Tracy Jr. “When a thing like that happens with the game on the line, you know, overtime, you come all the way back, like, that’s the last thing on your mind that you want to happen. … I hold myself to a higher standard. So when that happened, all of my emotions kind of just came out of me at that moment.”
The Giants now make their long way back to New Jersey left to contemplate a seemingly lost season — something they’ll have two weeks to think about before their next game, on Nov. 24 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at MetLife Stadium.
