Jude McAtamney has paid a heavy if predictable price for missing two extra-point attempts in the New York Giants' 33-32 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday, with the Swatragh kicker placed on waivers today.
The former Derry Under-20 footballer and Rutgers University alumnus, who joined the Giants as an undrafted free agent in April 2024, secured a spot on the 53-man roster due to an injury to veteran Graham Gano.
Featuring in each of the Giants last four encounters, McAtamney had already missed one of 10 earlier extra-point attempts in a league where the conversion rate is around 95%, with Sunday's performance sealing the fate of the 25-year-old.
While fingers were immediately pointed in the direction of the kicker after the loss, the Giants defence and coaching calls were major contributors in the loss, with the Giants conceding all 33 points in a lamentable fourth quarter.
After the game, McAtamney was searingly honest in an interview with the the New York Post, saying: "It's on me. 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."
The Giants make the trip to Philadelphia on Sunday to face the Eagles, with their kicking options against their divisional rivals and reigning Super Bowl champions either to restore Gano from injured reserve or to promote former Atlanta Falcons Pro Bowler Younghoe Koo from their practice squad.
Once he hasn't been claimed off waivers, McAtamney could in theory return to the Giants' practice squad under his international exemption via the International Player Pathway.
However, the nature of the defeat to the Broncos and the subsequent vitriol the player received from the Giants' own fanbase, means that prospect may be a distant one.
