Dominic Zvada did not get the day he wanted in Houston. The rookie kicker missed both of his field goal attempts as the Giants outlasted the Texans in overtime, 27-21. The Giants kicking legend, Lawrence Tynes, says the team can’t afford to let another good young kicker slip away, as it did with Chris Boswell in 2015.
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“John Harbaugh is an expert with kickers. He knows the position better than any head coach in football,” Lawrence Tynes posted on X. “He literally had two kickers in his 19 seasons at Baltimore who are both borderline Hall of Famers (Stover and Tucker). Dominic Zvada is going to be an elite NFL kicker for many years. The Giants know what they have in him; he’s a rare talent. There are going to be some bumps along the way, but missing 57, 56, and 50-yarders is 100% excusable for a rookie.
“Only thing I would change is stop putting him out there for 55+ yd FG’s unless it is an end-of-game or end-of-half situation for the time being. He needs to keep building his confidence and missing from any distance dents that along with the media scrutiny. I am a huge fan of this young man. We cannot make the mistake of letting him out of the building as we did with future Hall of Famer Chris Boswell (PIT) in 2015. Patience is required. Go Big Blue!”
Chris Boswell entered the NFL in 2014 as an undrafted free agent, signing with the Houston Texans. He spent his entire rookie season on their practice squad before joining the New York Giants for training camp in 2015. The Giants waived him on August 16 but brought him back in September, only to release him again during final roster cuts in the same year. Therefore, Tynes wants the Giants to be patient with Zvada, who had a bad day in Week 7.
The first miss was a 56-yarder in the opening quarter, and the second was a 44-yarder in the second quarter that he pushed wide right against the Texans. He did hit all three extra points, and his five kickoffs covered 317 yards with one touchback.
Zvada took responsibility afterward.
“I just pushed it,” Zvada said. “It’s unacceptable. Luckily … I’m surrounded by teammates who really support me and keep me ready for the next one. For us to win, that’s great. I’m going to do my thing during the bye to make sure I’m right for when we go to [play] Philly.”
He also sounded steady about his process.
“In my mind, it was happening,” Zvada said. “I was kicking into the net, feeling good. I had three PATs that went through. I know I can do it. If it came down to me, I was going to make that kick.”
On Monday, the obvious question for John Harbaugh was whether it was time to look at other kickers. He closed the door fast.
“We’re not going to be doing that right now,” Harbaugh said.
Through Week 7, he is 13 of 18, perfect inside 40 yards, and 12 for 12 on extra points. He has also connected on 5 of 8 tries from 50 or more, with a long of 56. Most of his trouble has come on the longer kicks.
Harbaugh sees it as a normal rookie stretch.
“I think he has to go ahead and pound that thing through straight,” Harbaugh said. “I think he’s doing what a lot of rookies do, just trying to get it through the uprights. I’m not really worried about Zvada. He just has to do it, but I’m totally confident he will because I know how good he is and know what a good head he has.”
The Giants head into the bye at 4-2-1, with Philadelphia waiting on the other side on November 8. Harbaugh sees the break as time to recover and prepare, not as a deadline for a kicking change.
Zvada’s strong start earned him the job, and his recent misses will stay part of the picture, but for now the Giants are sticking with him instead of auditioning replacements.