Sunday's disaster in DC led to Graham Gano not only missing the remainder of the game after injuring his hamstring on the opening kickoff.
The Giants kicker is likely to miss "a few weeks," head coach Brian Daboll said Monday during a conference call.
"We'll work guys out, and Jude (McAtamney) has been with us (on the practice squad), so we'll make a decision off of the workout based on how they do in the workout and then Jude," Daboll said.
The injury played a significant role in the Giants' 21-18 loss to the Commanders because they couldn't kick extra points on their three touchdowns, which accounted for the final margin.
They also had to go for it on fourth-and-4 at the Commanders' 22-yard line with 2:04 remaining in a tie game because punter Jamie Gillan couldn't kick a field goal from that distance. Daboll said afterward there was a yard line in which they could've attempted a go-ahead field goal in that situation, but he wouldn't disclose the exact spot.
Daboll chalked up the nightmare scenario to simply bad luck with an injury, but there was an easy insurance policy the Giants could've taken. Gano popped up on the injury report Saturday with a groin injury, so even if they didn't have enough time to sign another kicker, McAtamney was eligible to be elevated from the practice squad.
The Giants had 52 active players on game day (teams are allowed 53), so there was simply no reason to risk a setback to Gano, who was seen wincing during pregame warmups.
Now with time to hold a kicking workout, the Giants will likely turn to a more experienced option because McAtamney, an undrafted rookie from Rutgers, has never kicked in a regular-season game.
Among potential veteran options are Randy Bullock and Mason Crosby, who kicked for the Giants last season when Gano was injured.
Riley Patterson (16-for-18 on field goals for the Lions and Browns in 2023), Anders Carlson (27-of-33 on field goals for the Packers in 2023), Chad Ryland (16-of-25 on field goals for the Patriots in 2023) and Greg Joseph (24-of-30 on field goals for the Vikings in 2023) are other possibilities. Joseph is less likely because he'd have to be signed off the Lions' practice squad.