There was a staggeringly brilliant moment for young Charlie Smyth of Mayobridge Co. Down last night in Glendale, Arizona last night. The former Down U20 keeper kicked the game-winning field goal for the New Orleans Saints in their preseason game against the Arizona Cardianls.
Smyth kicked a 37-yarder with eight seconds left on the clock to give the Saints a 16-14 win in their first outing of the 2024 season.
IT'S GOOD! 🙌
Charlie Smyth kicks a 37-yard FG to give the #Saints a 16-14 lead with 5 secs left in the game
📺: @FOX8NOLA | @NFLUKIRE pic.twitter.com/wIlTCadr8h— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) August 11, 2024
Game-winning kicks bring huge pressure for any NFL kicker, even in the preseason. But this was Smyth's first-ever attempt at a field goal in a game situation in his entire life. The Cardinals attempted to "ice" Smyth by calling a timeout just before the attempt, but it had no impact. The kick split the uprights.
Charlie Smyth was signed to the Saints practice squad at the beginning of the year after impressing at the NFL Combine. He arrived into the NFL via its International Player Pathway system, and unlike the hundreds of other kickers in the league, he has no experience of the game. Even his rookie peers would have played in college or high school.
Smyth, however, was not phased by the moment. He got an amazing reception from his teammates when he returned to the sideline after the kick.
Not only was this Irish kicker Charlie Smyth’s first FG in any kind of football ever, but he also got iced and it was a game winner. The reaction from his saints teammates is so adorable pic.twitter.com/Hzw8hALF3C
— Kalyn Kahler (@kalynkahler) August 11, 2024
Charlie Smyth: 'I told myself to lock in'
He didn't seem phased in the moment, or speaking to journalists after.
"No matter the situation, I would have been nervous, but I just told myself to lock in on the process," Smyth told reporters in the locker room after the game, as U2 blared out on the speakers.
He was praised by his head coach Dennis Allen for delivering in the moment.
“I thought it was awesome. For him to knock it through in a pressure situation like that was cool to see.”
Charlie Smyth remains the back-up kicker to Blake Grupe and will likely be on the practice squad when the season begins, but he proved he belongs in the NFL with that game-winning last night.
It's clear the Saints really rate him - he was spotted kicking a 66-yard kick before the game by reporters.
Whatever happens to him on his NFL journey, Charlie Smyth will be able to tell his grandkids he kicked a game-winner in an NFL game.
Not only do we have Irishmen in the NFL now, they're kicking game winners. Just unbelieveable.
