The New York Giants got great news as both JJ McCarthy and Cam Skattebo were both cleared to play for Thursday Night Football against the Washington Commanders.
The two thought they had done enough to give the Giants an early first-quarter lead after they connected on a 34-yard play to put the team in field-goal territory. However, kicker Dominic Zvada was unable to give the Giants the lead as he missed a relatively straightforward 33-yarder wide to the left. The disappointment in Giants head coach John Harbaugh's face was clear for everyone to see.
Zvada, a rookie, has curiously had a rough time kicking against the Commanders. He missed three of his five field goal attempts in their first meeting against Washington, which ended in a 27-27 tie. He missed a potential game-winning kick at the start of overtime. He also missed both of his field goal attempts in the Giants' other overtime game, a 27-21 win over the Houston Texans.
On the season, Zvada came into the game hitting just 77.3% of his field goal attempts, which is tied for 24th in the league.
Like the Green Bay Packers' Trey Smack, the Giants have a significant liability with their rookie kicker. That does not exactly bode well for them and their postseason hopes. JJ McCarthy is relatively unproven as a starter, so having a reliable special teams would be a big help for the young QB. But unless the Giants can sign a veteran kicker, they appear stuck with having the unreliable Zvada as their kicker moving forward.