Graham Gano’s big night piles on misery for Carolina Panthers fans

Graham Gano’s big night for the New York Giants on Thursday was another tough pill for Carolina Panthers fans to swallow.

The Carolina Panthers had some of their recent history written all over the New York Giants vs. Washington Football Team in Week 2 on Thursday night.

With former head coach Ron Rivera and quarterback Taylor Heinicke in Washington, and cornerback James Bradberry and kicker Graham Gano donning blue for the Giants, it felt like just yesterday all four of them were Panthers.

Rivera and Heinicke got what could be a huge win over New York and Bradberry had a big interception late for the Giants to no avail.

However, it was Gano’s night that stung the most for Carolina fans watching the game.

The Pro Bowler went 5-for-5 on field-goal attempts and 2-for-2 on extra points. His field goals also included a 55 and 52-yarder.

Gano’s performance comes just two days after the Panthers released yet another kicker in Ryan Santoso and claimed Zane Gonzalez off waivers.

Santoso was ironically Gano’s backup in New York before being traded to Carolina after they released Joey Slye, whose form in 2019 was enough for the Panthers to part ways with the experienced figure in favor of a potential long-term option.

Graham Gano’s performance sparks a strong reaction from Carolina Panthers fans.

So, Gano’s strong night being a trigger for Carolina fans might be an understatement according to the Twitter reactions.

It might be tough to see Gano having so much success following his abrupt end as a Panther, but unfortunately, that’s the business of kickers in the NFL.

To be a successful kicker, you must be mentally strong, and Gano was struggling in Carolina before he suffered an injury that ultimately ended his time with the team.

Yes, Gano had some big moments with the Panthers, including the famous 63-yard field goal to beat New York in 2018, but it’s rare for a kicker to be so consistently good with one team throughout their entire career.

Even legendary kicker Adam Vinatieri saw the New England Patriots move on from him during the prime of his career.

At the time, Carolina was unsure of Gano’s health and wanted to save the extra money they would’ve owed him in the final two years of his deal.

Kickers just come and go in the league and right now, the Panthers are dealing with the struggles of finding one they can rely on.

However, just as the Kansas City Chiefs did when they signed Harrison Butker off of Carolina’s practice squad, and the Giants for when they signed Gano, the Panthers will find their guy.

Eventually.

It might be Gonzalez or it might not be. But Carolina fans shouldn’t worry. There are plenty of kickers around and they’ll find their gem.