Did Graham Gano’s absence really hurt the Giants in Week 2?

When Giants kicker Graham Gano went down on the first play of the game, after pulling his hamstring while chasing Austin Ekeler on the initial kickoff, it was pretty clear that was going to have an effect on the outcome of the game.

And, while the Giants eventually lost, as Washington’s Austin Seibert drilled seven field goals in the game, I actually think a strong case can be made that Gano’s absence - and the corresponding increase in playcalling aggressiveness by Brian Daboll - made New York more competitive than they otherwise would have been.

Let’s go drive by drive to take a look at the impact:

Giants Drive 1 (5:24, 1st quarter)

This seven play drive ended with Devin Singletary taking a…