What in the world just happened? Giants fans and spectators everywhere are still in shock and awe over the 63-yard field goal that stripped the Giants of their second win. People from all over took to Twitter to express their grievances about a number of things, particularly officiating. The Panthers Twitter account was quick to troll the Giants A lot of people still can’t wrap their heads around the loss I still can't grasp this Giants loss — Shaun Morash (@MrazCBS) October 7, 2018 Let your hatred fly pic.twitter.com/GKWHdqBlxr — LPG - NYG (@LicensePlateGuy) October 7, 2018 Being a Giants fan can really suck — Johnny Pinstripes (@JohnFerraro_) October 7, 2018 Blaming the officiating Many people were quick to blame officiating for the loss, including Landon Collins and Janoris Jenkins, and Snacks Harrison. Asked Landon Collins what the mood is in the locker room: “The mood is we need better refs. That’s the mood. Point-blank, simple. It’s bogus calls being called out there.” — Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) October 7, 2018 Giants defensive players livid about the officiating. “We need better refs,” Janoris Jenkins said over and over. — Paul Schwartz (@NYPost_Schwartz) October 7, 2018 I can take a loss...to have a win stolen is a different type of feeling. The NFL has some explaining to do... — Damon Harrison Sr. (@snacks) October 7, 2018 Can’t believe they didn’t measure for a 1st down in #Giants game. Looked like he came up short and then Cam spiked the ball on 4th and 1. Terrible sequence. Should’ve stopped the clock for measurement. — Ryan Field (@RyanFieldABC) October 7, 2018 How is this a First Down?? HOW IS THIS A FREAKING FIRST DOWN. GIANTS NATION. WE HAVE BEEN ROBBED BY THE HORRENDOUS @NFL REFS OF OUR 2ND RIGHTFUL WIN OF THE SEASON. This makes me sick to my stomach how could the NFL allow something like this? HOW ON THIS EARTH????????? pic.twitter.com/qGJxUQME3G — Pissed MARA (@EmperorMara) October 7, 2018 Others, not so much Whine about the refs all you want. Good teams win close games. Have the #NYG been hosed by the NFL the last two weeks? Yes. BUT they're a genuinely bad team. — RegularSZN Ethan (@EthanGSN) October 7, 2018 Poor officiating isn't an excuse for losing, but the Giants and Pat Shurmur now have a legitimate beef with the league. — TheGiantsWire (@TheGiantsWire) October 7, 2018 It’s probably best to just move on to next week Brutal Loss For @giants Need to play SMARTER & BETTER for ALL 4 Quarters to EARN a WIN! Can’t feel sorry for themselves they have the Defending World Champs in 4 days #BuryTheDead #CleanUrRifle #PHIvsNYG #TNF — Shaun O'Hara (@ShaunOHara60) October 7, 2018 Time will tell of course, but if I'm the Giants, I somehow find a way to bottle this anger that they seem to be feeling and I take it out on the Eagles Thursday. — Patricia Traina (@Patricia_Traina) October 7, 2018<doc-sep>Graham Gano picked a great time to dig deep for a career-long field goal. The Carolina Panthers kicker lined up for a 63-yarder Sunday in Charlotte with time winding down against the New York Giants and his team trailing 31-30. The Panthers had blown an 11-point second-half lead and were left with Gano’s long shot to win. And he came through. Gano’s game-winner almost an NFL record Gano’s kick secured a 33-31 win for Carolina. It’s also the second-longest kick in NFL history, putting Gano in a five-way tie behind Matt Prater, who hit a 64-yarder for the Broncos in the thin Denver air in 2013. Graham Gano picked a great time to dig deep for a career-long field goal. (Getty) The Panthers improve to 3-1 with the win, a critical victory in the competitive NFC South, while the Giants fall to 1-4. Gano’s kick salvaged a second-half surge that appeared to have the Panthers firmly in control in the fourth quarter. Carolina took a 27-16 lead on a Christian McCaffrey touchdown pass from Cam Newton with 11:21 remaining. Giants rallied late But the Giants roared back. Odell Beckham Jr. caught his first touchdown of the season three minutes later on a 33-yard contested ball in the end zone after Manning and Newton traded interceptions. The Panthers answered with a field goal and a 30-24 lead with 2:01 remaining, but the Giants needed only four plays to march 75 yards on their next possession that ended with a Saquon Barkley touchdown catch from Manning that gave the Giants a 31-30 lead and took the air out of the Panthers home crowd. Gano salvages game When Carolina could only advance the ball to the Giants 45-yard line, it looked like the Panthers had squandered an opportunity. But Gano delivered one of the biggest kicks of his career to keep the Panthers on pace with the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South. Giants avoid Barkley scare The Giants picked up another loss, but avoided a big scare after Barkley appeared to injure his knee on their go-ahead touchdown. Barkley landed awkwardly after leaping into the end zone and appeared to tweak his knee without contact. Story continues But Giants coach Pat Shurmur confirmed after the game that Barkley was fine and moving with no issue after the game. Related NFL video on Yahoo Sports More from Yahoo Sports: • Dan Wetzel: Ugly incident at Khabib-McGregor fight makes UFC only bigger • Kevin Iole: UFC has a black eye, but it will recover • Forde and Thamel: Texas’ upset of Oklahoma doesn’t bode well for Big 12 • Jeff Passan: David Price can’t get out of October funk<doc-sep>The Carolina Panthers’ 33-31 victory over the New York Giants in week four was an ugly and sloppy game rife with penalties and mental mistakes. It was also prime time for the Panthers to go into “Cardiac Cats” mode to steal a win at home against a hapless (but hungry) Giants squad. Cam Newton showed poise, late in the second half, shaking off two interceptions to set up Graham Gano’s record setting 63 yard game winning field goal. Here are five winners and three losers from Week Four. Winners Mike Adams: During a stretch between the third and fourth quarter, the Panthers and Giants threw four interceptions in five possessions. Adams picked off the two for Carolina, including one that set up the Christian McCaffrey touchdown to give the Panthers an 11 point lead with a little over 11 minutes remaining in the game. Special Teams: The Panthers’ special teams unit was huge early in the second quarter when Safety Colin Jones recovered a botched return in the end zone for a 14-3 Carolina lead. James Bradberry: The Panthers’ secondary has long been considered as one of the team’s weaknesses. However, Bradberry gave as good as he got in his high profile match-up. He prevented an Odell Beckham Jr. touchdown in the first half by breaking up two passes. Puts some respect on James Bradberry’s name. Prevents the OBJ TD reception, forces Giants to settle for a FG. Panthers lead 20-16 with 7:34 left in the 3rd. — Matt Harris (@MHarrisWSOC9) October 7, 2018 Curtis Samuel: Samuel returned to action after missing three games due to a medical procedure on his heart, and made his presence felt on his first reception of the season. The 5’11 speedster hauled in a catch from Cam Newton and scampered to the end zone and through a stunning number of missed tackles for a 25 yard touchdown, Graham Gano: After the game, Newton said that Graham put the team on his back (or toe) today. Before today’s game winner, Gano’s longest career field goal was 53 yards. With 11 seconds remaining and yards short of field goal range, Gano fired a 63 yard field goal through the uprights to seal the game for Carolina. Poll Who was the biggest winner? This poll is closed 2% Mike Adams (33 votes) 8% Special teams (131 votes) 2% James Bradberry (34 votes) 3% Curtis Samuel (61 votes) 83% Graham Gano (1310 votes) 1569 votes total Vote Now Losers Panthers coaches: Offensively, the play calling was a bit inconsistent. During the first half, the willingness to take risks was a very welcome sight. DJ Moore’s end around that set up the Panthers’ first touchdown was an awesome deviation from the predictable run or short pass to McCaffrey. In the second half, the play calling grew predictable and too conservative. Instead of taking shots downfield, the offense settled for short and intermediate passes. When the Panthers did go deep, the shorter pass ended up being the better option. For instance, with 4:22 remaining in the third quarter, Cam Newton had Christian McCaffrey wide open on a check down that would have ended up moving the chains and extending the down. Instead, the Panthers couldn’t capitalize on a drive that was rife with Giants’ penalties. Donte Jackson: Giants receiver Sterling Shepard caught the rookie defensive back slipping late in the fourth quarter, beating him for what officials first thought to be a go ahead touchdown to give New York the lead. Jackson in fact touched Shepard before he advanced to the end zone, which only delayed the inevitable. Saquon Barkley scored the go ahead touchdown instead. Panthers Secondary: Granted, Bradberry and Adams came up clutch in different sequences of the game. However it still doesn’t change the fact that the unit is one of the team’s weaknesses for a reason, and why the team signed Eric Reid during the bye. The unit surrendered 382 passing yards, including a trick play that resulted in Beckham-to-Barkley 57 yard touchdown. The Giants would have accumulated more yards and even a score if it were not for a few penalties. Poll Who was the biggest loser? This poll is closed 66% Panthers coaches (944 votes) 3% Donte Jackson (44 votes) 30% Panthers secondary (437 votes) 1425 votes total Vote Now Panthers fans, who were you winners and losers this week? Let us know in the comments.<doc-sep>
Sunday was a special day for the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium . . . literally. For the first time, the special teams unit was the subject of the pregame pomp and circumstance, as they—not the offense nor the defense—came out of the tunnel to their own introduction ceremony. Fittingly, it was a member of that unit who brought the afternoon to a memorable conclusion. Kicker Graham Gano, as time expired with the Panthers down by a point, nailed a 63-yard field goal to push Carolina past the New York Giants for a 33-31 victory. The Week 5 win now moves the team to a 3-1 record and, at least for the next 30 hours, into a first-place tie atop the NFC South with the New Orleans Saints. The special teams highlights weren’t limited to Gano, who converted on all four of his attempts. A fumble by the Giants on a punt return early in the second quarter, a ball that bounced off receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and away from cornerback Janoris Jenkins, was recovered by safety Colin Jones in the end zone for a touchdown and a 14-3 lead. Carolina’s first trip to the paint, just five minutes earlier, came on a relentless catch-and-run from Curtis Samuel. The second-year wideout stomped over the Giants defense for a 25-yard touchdown, the first of his NFL career. Those two plays, however, wouldn’t provide comfort for long, as the other prevalent theme for Carolina saw them seemingly refuse to put a struggling 1-3 team away. Much of that failure rests on with the offense, who did not get the sharpest outing from quarterback Cam Newton. Newton’s line wasn’t all too disappointing, as he completed 21 of his 35 attempts for 237 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. It was his feel for much of the game, where he overlooked running back Christian McCaffrey too often and couldn’t connect downfield consistently—whether that be on him or his targets —that helped put an end to a handful of drives. On the bright side, at least from an individual standpoint, Newton did etch his name in the NFL record books once again. A 7-yard run in the fourth catapulted Cam to 4,485 rushing yards, nudging him past Randall Cunningham and his 4,482 with the Philadelphia Eagles for the most by a quarterback with a single franchise. The Panthers defense also couldn’t put a bow on what should have been a much smoother win. In addition to their 432 total yards, the New York offense put up at least 30 points for the first time in 37 games. Starring in their best offensive output in recent memory was Odell Beckham Jr., who not only caught eight passes for 131 yards and a touchdown, but threw a pass of his own for a 57-yard score to running back Saquon Barkley on a trick play to keep the Giants afloat in the first half. The Panthers did stifle Barkley on the ground, limiting the standout rookie to just 48 yards on 15 carries. Two more clutch stops came courtesy of safety Mike Adams, who picked off Eli Manning twice. As a whole, Sunday’s effort couldn’t have been what coach Ron Rivera was aiming for. The passing game still couldn’t pick up deep strikes, the defense still couldn’t get to the opposing quarterback and the overall time management left much to be desired. Luckily, Carolina got a shot in the arm on special teams – one that saved the Panthers from an inexcusable defeat.