Charlie Smyth impressed again for the New Orleans Saints as they defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Charlie Smyth kicks a field goal during the New Orleans Saints’ victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
New Orleans Saints kicker Charlie Smyth during his time as a Down goalkeeper
Former Down Gaelic footballer Charlie Smyth impressed again as he helped the New Orleans Saints secure just their third win of the NFL season on Sunday.
The Mayobridge kicker converted a field goal and three extra points that proved decisive in the Saints’ 24-20 upset victory on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Smyth’s contributions at Raymond James Stadium proved invaluable as the Saints moved up to 3-10 in the NFC standings, conquering a division rival in the NFC South in the process.
Although their Play-Off hopes are all but gone, New Orleans’ win over the 7-6 Buccaneers – who were Super Bowl champions back in 2020 – at least gives them renewed confidence of moving off the bottom of the NFC South where they are just one win off the Atlanta Falcons directly above them.
Smyth was elevated from the Saints’ practice squad after starting kicker Blake Grupe was waived and kicked a 56-yard extra point on his NFL debut the previous week, with New Orleans going down 21-17 to the Miami Dolphins.
That saw the former Down goalkeeper retain his place for the Louisiana franchise’s clash with the Bucs – and he didn’t disappoint.
Charlie Smyth kicks a field goal during the New Orleans Saints’ victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
He successfully kicked extra points after touchdowns from Devin Neal and Tyler Shough (2) and, although he missed an earlier 48-yard field goal, made amends with a 30-yard effort that tied the game up at 17-17 late in the third quarter.
After tagging on the extras from Neal’s first-quarter touchdown and rookie quarterback Shough’s first effort early in the third, Smyth stayed composed to make it 24-17 when he converted after Shough’s second midway through the fourth quarter.
Bucs kicker Chase McLaughlin pulled it back to 24-20 with a field goal of his own, but the Saints held out with Smyth accounting for six of their points overall.
New Orleans Saints kicker Charlie Smyth during his time as a Down goalkeeper
Like former Derry Minor footballer Jude McAtamney, the Swatragh kicker who was released by the New York Giants in November, Smyth graduated through the NFL’s International Player Programme and signed a practice contract with New Orleans in March 2024.
When he debuted against the Dolphins, he became just the third kicker from the island of Ireland to play in the NFL after McAtamney and Dublin-born Neil O’Donoghue, who played for the Buffalo Bills, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and St Louis Cardinals between 1977 and 1985.
