Graham Gano’s sudden kicking inaccuracy left a target squarely on the chest of head coach Brian Daboll.
With the Giants leading by three points and facing a fourth-and-1, Daboll sent out Gano for a 35-yard field goal that, if converted and combined with a near-automatic touchback, would have forced the Jets to drive the length of the field in 24 seconds with no timeouts to steal a win.
Given that the Jets had converted one third down and gained eight first downs over the first 59 minutes, it sounded preposterous enough that the Giants’ win probability was the same (99.7 percent) whether they kicked or tried to gain a first down, according to ESPN.
But Gano missed a chip shot — perhaps because of Jets rookie Will McDonald’s car-hopping vertical leap — Zach Wilson connected on two deep passes to set up the game-tying field goal and then the Jets finished off the stunning comeback victory, 13-10, in overtime.
“I have no excuses. That’s not who I am,” Gano said. “I just have to do a better job and not let everybody down.”
Daboll’s other option would’ve been to ask an offensive line littered with backups to get a push for Barkley on fourth-and-1.
Barkley’s first 25 telegraphed runs of the second half — when third-string quarterback Tommy DeVito attempted just one pass — somehow gained 94 yards.
If the run was stopped short, however, the Jets would’ve needed just to get in the range of strong-legged kicker Greg Zuerlein to force overtime.
Alas, Gano’s miss allowed that scenario to play out anyway, with an additional 8 yards of starting field position.
“Counted on making the field goal, and then they’d have 24 seconds with no timeouts, still have to drive it the length, and our defense was playing well all game. That’s why I made the decision,” Daboll said. “There’s always a flip side. I understand what it is.”
Jets head coach Robert Saleh wasn’t surprised to see Gano on the field.
“You make it a touchdown lead, no timeouts,” Saleh said. “I probably would have done the same thing.”
The Jets are convinced McDonald — the first-round pick who went viral for videos of him jumping over cars in college — affected Gano’s missed kick.
“Guys were already saying he was going to block it,” cornerback D.J. Reed said. “They put him in there to block it. He didn’t block it, but he got close and he definitely altered the kick. That was a big play.”
One X factor is whether the Giants considered that Gano has been off all season, possibly due to health.
After converting 91.8 percent of his field goals (89 of 97) over the last three seasons, Gano is converting 64.7 percent (11 of 17) since signing a three-year, $16.5 million extension before the season and has been dealing with a knee injury for weeks.
“It’s not a problem,” Gano said. “My knee is what it is, but I’ve got to make my kicks. It’s not the reason that I missed today, I just played poorly.”
The Jets’ win probability was down to 0.01 percent before Barkley was stopped short on a third-and-3 when he thinks he could have churned his legs to get a first down.
So, Barkley wasn’t going to question Daboll’s decision.
“I’m not going to harp on that situation. I have to figure out a way to get the first down before that,” Barkley said. “Our defense is playing lights out, we have a really good kicker, I rock with his call.”
Daboll seemingly had a magic touch with judgment calls during last season’s run to the playoffs.
The worm has definitely turned during this 2-6 start.
“There are so many different things,” Daboll said. “I felt comfortable with what we talked about. It didn’t work out, and I’m disappointed.”