Wicked Circling Winds Causes Giants To Miss Mystifying Extra Point As Ball Takes Sharp Turn In Mid-Air

Giants kicker Graham Gano had a difficult job Sunday. As did Lions kicker Michael Badgley.

Blustery weather in New Jersey was wreaking havoc.

When the game got underway at 1 p.m. ET with kickoff from MetLife Stadium, wind speeds were hovering around 20 miles per hour with gusts up to 35/40 mph. Needless to say, the wind presented an added challenge for both the passing and kicking games.

In particular, playing toward the south end of the stadium was nearly impossible.

As Gano took the field for warmups, he missed one field goal attempt by nearly 30 yards to the right, came up short on a 45-yard attempt and left a 52-yarder short and left on his final attempt. The wind was circling and had a direct impact on the direction of the ball once it was in the air.

Due to the conditions, both Detroit and New York were forced to take a more aggressive approach and try to avoid long kick attempts at all costs. That avoidance didn't apply to extra points, at least for the Giants after their first score.

Gano trotted out to attempt the 33-yard point after touchdown and lined up dead center.

The snap was good, the hold was good, and the kick looked good. Until it didn't.

About halfway to the uprights, the ball caught a wind gust and took a sharp right turn. It missed.

Upon further review, Lions defensive end John Cominsky deserves credit for getting a finger on the ball as it came across the line of scrimmage. However, while the deflection may have played a small role in the miss, it was not enough to change the flight path. The wind took over and sent Gano's PAT sailing wide right for the miss and the Giants took a 6-3 lead instead of 7-3.