CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ With the game _ and his 35-kick streak of consecutive made home field goals _ on the line, Carolina Panthers kicker Graham Gano delivered.
Gano's 63-yard boom with one second left in Sunday's game against the New York Giants put the Panthers ahead 33-31, and when New York's ill-fated kickoff return eventually rolled out of bounds, sealed the victory for Carolina.
"Piece of cake," Panthers coach Ron Rivera said afterward. "Piece of cake."
Gano's kick came after quarterback Cam Newton and the Panthers offense led a game-winning drive with just over a minute left to play, following a touchdown from New York running back Saquon Barkley. A 20-yard pass to receiver DJ Moore across the middle, then a Christian McCaffrey catch and run, ultimately didn't give Gano excellent field position, but rather just enough to have a shot at the winner.
That came after Gano had already made three field goals Sunday, protecting Carolina's lead whenever the offense was unable to finish drives. Two interceptions of Giants quarterback Eli Manning led to no Carolina points, but rather turnovers of Carolina's own.
But on the day when Carolina's special teams unit was introduced pregame, with all the fire and smoke and applause, it was fitting that Gano had the play to seal the victory.
