4 critical observations from Panthers unacceptable Week 2 loss at Giants

Do kickers ever miss against the Carolina Panthers?

If you had to bet your house on one kicker making important efforts against the Carolina Panthers, Graham Gano would be at the top of the list. The current New York Giants kicker was a perfect four-for-four against his old employers, including two from 50+ with a 56-yarder turning out to be the game-winning effort late on.

Gano left the Panthers in acrimonious circumstances in 2020 after spending the 2019 season on injured/reserve with a leg injury. He went on to say the Panthers misdiagnosed a leg injury suffered in 2018 and nearly cost him his career so this was probably a sweet feeling for someone who felt aggrieved about treatment from certain individuals within the organization.

The Panthers’ head trainer at the time was Ryan Vermillion, who was fired by the Washington Commanders in August 2022 after he was investigated by the DEA on the suspicion of illegally prescribing oxycodone to NFL players.

A week ago – as the rest of the NFL seemed to have kicking issues across the board – Cleveland Browns rookie fourth-rounder Cade York also hit all four of his attempts against Carolina, including a game-winner from 58 yards right at the death.

This is just bad luck, and the defense did well to stop some early momentum after fumbles from Chuba Hubbard and Robbie Anderson. However, it is a microcosm of how things are going for the Panthers right now.