Overcome with relief and joy, Aldrick Rosas couldn’t recall his teammates mobbing him when his game-winning field goal sailed through the uprights.
“I kind of don’t remember anybody,” Rosas said. “I just remember getting hit everywhere. It was a special moment.”
The rookie kicker lifted the Giants to a 12-9 overtime victory over the Chiefs with a 23-yarder in windy conditions — gusts up to 23 mph — Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
With 2:12 remaining in OT, Ben McAdoo left his offense on the field on fourth-and-5 at the Chiefs 36, rather than call on Rosas to attempt a 53-yarder.
The weather played a part in that decision, no question. But Rosas hasn’t exactly earned the trust of his head coach, either.
The 22-year-old out of Southern Oregon entered Sunday 10-for-15 on field-goal attempts. He had missed a field goal in five consecutive games and did little to comfort irritated fans when he botched an extra point in the second quarter.
“I believe we could have won 10-9 [in regulation],” Rosas said.
So McAdoo kept Eli Manning out there, and the quarterback lobbed a deep ball down the sidelines that receiver Roger Lewis somehow managed to corral despite a defensive pass interference call. That set up Rosas for the chip in.
Asked whether he was happy the offense made his job easier, the rejuvenated kicker responded with a smile: “I think it would have been the same either way.”
It is safe to assume Rosas, who also hit from 26 yards out to make it 9-6 late in the fourth quarter, has his confidence back. After the extra point debacle, he was itching for a chance at redemption.
“Huge opportunity,” he said. “I emphasized being accountable, wanting to have those opportunities. I was excited [for that final kick].”
“Aldrick just kept kicking,” McAdoo said. “That first one wasn’t pretty. We knew the wind was going to factor there. He just kept fighting. We knew there was going to be some adversity and Aldrick did a good job fighting through it.”