LANDOVER, Md. — The Giants’ season is already going down the toilet, and the blame for it starts with Brian Daboll. In an embarrassing 21-18 loss to the Commanders on Sunday at Northwest Stadium, the Giants literally could not kick extra points or field goals after Graham Gano left the game with an injured hamstring on the opening kickoff. That disastrous scenario could have been avoided had the Giants elevated kicker Jude McAtamney from the practice squad as an insurance policy. That would’ve been prudent because Gano was a late addition to the injury report Saturday with a groin injury. “We thought Graham would be OK,” Daboll insisted when asked postgame why the Giants didn’t have a second kicker active for the game. “He got hurt chasing down (the kickoff return). He didn’t hurt his groin, he hurt his hamstring.” Daboll also made sure to remind reporters that he’s not a doctor when pressed on the idea that having a compromised groin could affect one’s hamstring, as well as the notion that a player who had a soft tissue injury is at a higher risk of injury. Sure, but that just makes it even more logical to have another kicker on the game day roster — just in case something like this happens. But Daboll kept pushing the narrative that any player can get hurt in any given game, as Gano being less than 100 percent didn’t factor into the equation at all. So the Giants instead had punter Jamie Gillan try to kick. The sixth-year pro, who previously had only seven kickoffs and two field goal attempts in his career, predictably wasn’t up to the task as his only extra-point attempt sailed wide right on the Giants’ first touchdown. The Giants only attempted two-point conversions after that. Gillan also had three kickoffs, but even one of those fell short of the landing zone for a penalty. “We thought our chances were better going for it (on fourth down) or going for two as the game went on, and how we were playing offensively, I felt good about our plays,” Daboll said. New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) throws an incomplete pass past Washington Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu (4) on a two point conversion attempt during the first half of an NFL football game in Landover, Md., Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) Sorry, but if you’re trotting out a compromised kicker with no backup who can even kick extra points, let alone field goals, that’s absurd. Running back Devin Singletary, who rushed for 95 yards with one touchdown and one fumble, said the offense didn’t know after Gillan missed the first extra point that it was going to be four-down territory the rest of the way. “It wasn’t communicated,” Singletary said. “It was just Dabes being aggressive. He believed in us to get those first downs. That’s what it came down to.” Food for thought: Has an NFL team ever won a game in which it didn’t score a touchdown and allowed three touchdowns? Missing out on three extra points kept the game from, at the very least, going into overtime. And had the Giants at least been able to kick one after their third touchdown with 11:32 remaining, the Commanders would’ve been trailed by four points instead of three. That would’ve been huge because the Commanders simply could not reach the end zone in this game. They finished 0-for-6 in the red zone (five if you don’t count the final drive where they kneeled the ball to set up the game-winning field goal). Daboll claimed that he had a yard line in mind to attempt a field goal when the game was tied and the Giants turned the ball over on downs from the 22 with 2:04 left, but he wouldn’t disclose how far the offense needed to advance. And yes, Malik Nabers dropped the ball on that fourth down, but don’t blame the rookie after a fabulous performance where he carried the offense at times with 127 yards and his first career touchdown. “In the situations that came up there, (Daboll) told me it was four-down territory, and I operate according to that,” quarterback Daniel Jones said when I asked if the offense knew throughout the game that they weren’t going to be kicking field goals. “Where that line was or how he would’ve played a certain situation is hypothetical and a better question for him.” New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) reacts after missing a pass on fourth down against the Washington Commanders during the second half of an NFL football game in Landover, Md., Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) Singletary insisted that it didn’t really affect the offense in the sense that it’s always trying to score touchdowns regardless. That’s a nice sentiment, but the reality is that the decision to not have another kicker available cost the Giants far too many points in a close game. And it’s now the second time something like this has happened. It wasn’t as magnified in the opener against Minnesota, but the Giants also didn’t have a good backup punt returner available in that game after Gunner Olszewski hurt his groin during warmups. It was déjà vu Sunday on a grander scale. Gano was clearly uncomfortable during warmups and didn’t go through his full routine, and yet the Giants felt no need to even have Gillan handle kickoffs to protect Gano. “We felt OK with the decision that we made,” Daboll said. “Obviously it didn’t pan out because he pulled his hamstring.” Daboll says decisions like these are collective but ultimately run through him. So he needs to take the blame here, and with the Giants now sitting at 0-2 and set to be big underdogs in their next six games, you have to wonder if this is the beginning of the end for Daboll’s job security in New York.