Northern Ireland kicker Smyth drills 56-yard field goal in Saints debut

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Charlie Smyth had never kicked in an NFL regular-season game. He only started playing American football two years ago. So Sunday was quite the day for the Northern Ireland native. Smyth had a successful debut in the New Orleans Saints' 21-17 loss at the Miami Dolphins. Smyth kicked a 56-yard field goal in his first NFL attempt and had a successful onside kick when the Saints needed possession with 1:17 remaining. "You were curious if the opportunity was going to come up," Smyth said. "You just have to stay ready." The Saints elevated Smyth, a former Gaelic football player in Northern Ireland, from the practice squad this week to take over placekicking and kickoff duties. He replaced Blake Grupe, who was cut on Tuesday after his two missed field-goal attempts last Sunday raised his total of misses to eight. New Orleans also brought in veteran kicker Cade York to compete with Smyth. "It took a long time, and you say, 'I feel ready, I feel ready.' But the coaches know what they're doing," Smyth said of his opportunity. "We didn't envision being like this because Blake's been so good. Again, I've learned so much from him." As soon as he learned he would be kicking on Sunday, Smyth contacted his parents back home. Smyth's parents and two sisters quickly arranged travel plans to be at Hard Rock Stadium. After a whirlwind 23 hours of travel delays and connecting flights, Smyth's family made it to the game. "If we had to wait another three or four hours longer, I don't think it would have been possible," Smyth said of the turnaround time between the moment he received the news and his parents making the flight. "It was so awesome to see them here." Down 19-8, the Saints called on Smyth for his first field goal when they stalled at the Miami 37 with 6:13 remaining in the fourth quarter. Smyth drilled it through the uprights to get New Orleans within one score. "Just happy to be able to knock it down," Smyth said. "I looked up and saw it was going up the middle. You're only able to develop as much whenever you can trust your operation. I don't have to worry about them ever because I know the ball is going to be perfectly set up." After the Saints closed to 19-17 on Tyler Shough's 15-yard touchdown pass to Deaughn Vele with 1:23 remaining, Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick intercepted Shough's pass on the conversion attempt and returned it 100 yards, giving Miami two points. With the Saints needing the ball again, Smyth succeeded with the ensuing onside kick when Vele recovered it at the New Orleans 45. "We practiced it during the week and we actually caught our own scout team off guard," Smyth said. "The fellows did a great job and it was nice to cover it up. We were working hard at it. Just frustrating we couldn't get the win there at the end." Smyth, who came to the Saints in 2024 as part of the NFL's International Player Pathway program, kicked in the preseason in 2024 and 2025, hitting all four attempts this past summer, including two from 50-plus yards. The Saints then sent the 24-year-old to Dallas to work with a place-kicking specialist during this season. During practice, Smyth has been observed hitting field goals from 65 yards. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl