Jayden Daniels remains undefeated against the New York Giants in his three-year career, after the Washington Commanders‘ gutsy 24-21 victory at a rain-soaked MetLife Stadium Thursday night.
In a game that started off as a sloppy, low-scoring affair, we saw fireworks in the second half as the two NFC East rivals exchanged blow after blow.
If you’re a Giants fan, though, you probably had one thing sticking out in the back of your mind as the game wound down in the fourth quarter.
What if Dominic Zvada had made that 33-yard field goal attempt late in the first quarter?
The missed kick ended up biting Big Blue in the end, as they would go on to lose the pivotal division matchup by three points.
John Harbaugh ‘Confident’ in Dominic Zvada
Speaking with reporters after the loss, New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh preached patience with the rookie kicker, despite some of his recent struggles.
“Yeah, we’re confident [in Zvada]. As soon as a guy doesn’t make a play, you can’t start firing people left and right. Especially your kicker, who’s a rookie. I’m confident that he’s going to become a good kicker,” Harbaugh said to the media.
“We’re confident. As soon as a guy doesn’t make a play, you can’t start firing people left and right. Especially your kicker, who’s a rookie. I’m confident that he’s going to become a good kicker”
“If at some point in time it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. But we’re not gonna panic halfway through the season with a guy who’s made a bunch of kicks if that’s what you’re inferring we should be doing. So, I mean, we’re just not gonna knee-jerk it like that. He’s gonna make kicks. He’s gonna make a lot of kicks.”
“I believe in him. I think he’s really good and really talented. And we’re gonna give him an opportunity to do it, and it’s up to him to do it.”
Harbaugh’s confidence in Zvada is certainly what the young player needs to hear right now, but the fact of the matter is the undrafted free agent just isn’t consistent enough at the moment.
On New York’s first drive of the game, the Giants opted to punt rather than attempt a 55-yard field goal. In the NFL, that just can’t happen.
It boils down to a lack of confidence in the kicker.
Giants Urged to Add Veteran Kicker
After the New York Giants loss, SNY’s Connor Hughes called out the fact that Big Blue has yet to add a veteran kicker to the mix throughout Zvada’s struggles.
Maybe not as a replacement, but at least someone to add some competition to the kicker room.
“He’s missed six kicks since starting the season 9-for-9. Now the Giants don’t trust him to attempt a 55 yarder? The league is nailing 60s like PATs. The miss from 33 in a game the Giants lost by three? This division is going to come down to the wire,” wrote Hughes.
“The Giants aren’t talented enough to blow teams out, especially the opponents awaiting them over the next month. You can’t be giving possessions away as you wait for the rookie kicker to figure it out. A veteran should be in place this week to push Zvada in practice. Light a fire.”
With a long week ahead of them, we’ll see if the Giants look to try out a few veteran names to push Zvada.
One thing is for sure: they can’t carry on like this.
Giants’ John Harbaugh Sends Message to Dominic Zvada After Commanders Loss