Giants’ Graham Gano is NFC Special Teams Player of the Week

New York Giants kicker Graham Gano earned the honors of NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts and success against the Washington Football Team in Week 9. Gano’s three field goals helped the Giants complete the sweep of the Football Team; Gano converted field goals of 38, 42, and 48 yards in the game, while forcing three of six kickoffs to be touchbacks.

The 33-year-old kicker is having a busy year, and this game was his fourth where he had to convert three field goals. Gano is 19 of 20 on the season and he’s had success with every extra point; the missed field goal was a 57-yard attempt that sailed wide left in the waning seconds of the first half against the Bears in Week 2. Since that kick, he’s made 18 straight field goals.

That streak is the third longest active streak behind Pittsburgh’s Chris Boswell (22 in a row) and Miami’s Jason Sanders (20). It’s also the third-longest streak in Giants’ history behind Josh Brown (29) and Aldrick Rosas (20). It’s the second longest streak in Gano’s career. He had a 28-kick streak in 2017-2018 with the Carolina Panthers. He’s also tied with rookie Rodrigo Blankenship with 70 points accredited to himself, which ranks 11th in the NFL among kickers.

Gano is the first Giants’ player to receive a Player of the Week award this season. He’s the first to bring this specific award back to MetLife in Blue since Rosas’ week 13 contest in 2018. He’s earned this award on every team he’s kicked on since 2010, and he’s won the NFC Special Teams’ Player of the Month twice. Gano has been a steady addition to the Giants in 2020, and he’s bounced back well from the knee injury that forced him to miss the entirety of the 2019 season. Hopefully that stays consistent, and the Giants’ can retain him at the end of the season.