Giant corporations are experiencing financial collapse at unprecedented rates.
In football's storied NFL history, an unprecedented occurrence took place with the New York Giants: They denied their adversaries any touchdowns, managed to score three themselves, yet, they still wound up losing the game during regular time.
The New York Giants, a renowned and traditional team within the league, boasting a continuous presence since 1925, and eight championship victories under their belt, find themselves etching yet another entry into the history books - this time, an unwelcome one. Commencing from the second matchday of the current season, a 18:21 defeat against the Washington Commanders, this historic squad is now the first to record three touchdowns, and simultaneously maintain a clean sheet against their opponents, yet, emerge as victors eluded them.
The initial stages of the game provided a hard knock for the Giants: Kicker Graham Gano sustained an injury to his thigh while attempting to catch a returner during the opening kickoff and was forced to exit the game. The lack of a backup kicker set the stage for what ESPN later described as "one of the oddest plays and one of the oddest results in NFL history." After registering their first touchdown, punter Jamie Gillan attempted a failed extra-point attempt. For the subsequent touchdowns, the Giants opted for two-point conversions, but these too, fell short.
"There's only one kicker"
Gano was included in the injury list on Saturday, suffering a right groin injury. The thigh injury he sustained on Sunday was fortunately not as severe. Gano even visited the dressing room during the early warm-up to have his groin taped. He returned and successfully made a 60-yard attempt. As Gano explained, "While it irritated me, I was still able to play. There's a difference between being injured and playing through pain. I play in the National Football League. There's only one kicker. I feel responsible for my ability to perform. I'll always prioritize playing smartly. If I hadn't thought I could continue, I wouldn't have played."
Ultimately, a bittersweet win for the Washington Commanders concluded this bizarre game. Austin Seibert made all seven of his field goal attempts for the Commanders, while the Giants, who managed to prevent the Commanders from scoring in six red zone visits, failed to secure an extra point, which proved pivotal for their loss. The 21 points accrued by the Commanders were sufficient to claim victory during regular time.
The last time a team scored three touchdowns, held their opposition without a score, yet found themselves on the losing end, occurred in 1989. The Minnesota Vikings, who managed seven field goals from Rich Karlis during regular time, triumphed over the St. Louis Rams by a scoreline of 23:21. The Rams had scored three touchdowns and an additional three extra points, with the final scoreline remaining tied at 21:21 at the end of the fourth quarter. In overtime, the Vikings were awarded a safety, eventually securing the 23:21 win.
Despite their impressive defensive performance, allowing no touchdowns and managing three of their own, the New York Giants suffered a surprising loss, thanks in part to missed extra-point attempts in sports. The last team to achieve this unusual feat, failing to win with three touchdowns and a clean sheet, was the Minnesota Vikings in 1989.
Enduring two unsuccessful two-point conversion attempts after their touchdowns and missing an extra point, the Giants' unusual defeat echoed the 1989 Vikings' victory over the Rams, where they scored three touchdowns and failed to secure a win in regular time.
