'It's on me. I’ve got to make the kicks' - Derry's McAtamney accepts blame for New York Giants loss
Jude McAtamney of the New York Giants kicks a field goal in preseason. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images)
Derry NFL kicker Jude McAtamney was taking the blame on the chin last night after two missed kicks proved costly for the New York Giants, who lost a 19-0 fourth-quarter lead to go down 33-32 to the Denver Broncos.
"It's on me," McAtamney told the New York Post. "I missed vital points at vital times today. I’m not gonna shy away from that.
"The snap and the hold was good. It was my lack of execution on the kicks. I’m not gonna shy away from my mistakes and letting the team down."
Jaxson Dart’s fourth quarter touchdown gave the Giants a 32–30 lead with just 40 seconds remaining. However, place-kicker McAtamney missed the extra point, which allowed the Broncos to win the game on a last-second field goal.
“I’ve got to make the kicks. I'm not going to shy away from that. I'll take full responsibility," McAtamney added.
In the precarious word of NFL kicking, missed kicks can be hugely detrimental to a fledgling career. Reporters at the game suggested New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll reacted unsympathetically when McAtamney approached him to apologise for the misses. Though Daboll was diplomatic with media afterwards.
“It’s not one play, it’s not one position,” Daboll said. “It’s not offence, defence. It’s collective.”
The 25-year-old Derry man is a former Ulster U20 All-Ireland winner, who took up gridiron in 2020. He progressed in the sport via Australian organisation Prokick, initially signing with Division 2 college Chowan University before moving up a rung to Rutgers.
He signed with the New York Giants NFL team in 2024 and was elevated from the practice squad last month after an injury to Graham Gano.
He scored 2/2 field goals and 3/3 extra points in his first two games, missing one extra point from five efforts in the victory over the Philadelphia Eagles last week.
Last year McAtamney told the Irish Examiner that reacting to mistakes is the biggest challenge in his profession.
"In Gaelic football you can make a mistake and then the next minute, you're on the ball and you can make up for it. In this, you could get one chance a game or seven. The biggest adjustment was how well you had to focus on the sideline in between plays because the games last three-and-a-half to four hours."
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