The 2021 season is underway, and teams are already on the ropes.
A primetime matchup turned into a classic.
And one NFL team thought they won. But then everyone noticed something strange.
On Thursday night, the New York Giants played the Washington Redskins in a game neither team could afford to lose.
Both teams entered the game 0-1 and a loss would likely end their playoff hopes before the season even gets going.
The game turned into a classic with three lead changes in the fourth quarter and just two punts in the second half.
The Redskins took a 27 to 26 lead with 4:33 left on a highlight reel touchdown catch by tight end Ricky Seal-Jones on a pass from quarterback Tyler Heinicke.
Redskins fans thought their lead was safe when the Skins got the ball back with 3:31 left needing just two first downs to run out the clock.
But Heinicke made his only mistake of the night, throwing a pick that New York Giants cornerback James Bradberry returned to the Washington 20.
Then, the Giants ran three conservative plays and Graham Gano kicked his 36th consecutive made field goal from 35 yards out with two minutes remaining.
Heinicke and the Redskins got the ball back and Heinicke completed a number of clutch passes to advance the ball down to the Giants 31 yard line to line up kicker Dustin Hopkins for a game-winning 48-yard field goal with just five seconds left.
Hopkins, who hit previous kicks from 49 and 37 yards booted this one wide right and the Giants celebrated a comeback that kept their playoff hopes alive.
Or so they thought.
Everyone noticed a flag on the field and the refs called Giants nose tackle Dexter Lawrence for jumping offsides.
Since games cannot end on defensive penalties, the Redskins received one more untimed down and Hopkins booted a game winning 43-yard field goal through the uprights to hand the Giants a soul-crushing loss and drop them to 0-2 for the eighth time in the last nine years.
Sports with Balls will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
