New York Giants rookie kicker Dominic Zvada entered last Sunday's game against the Washington Commanders with a perfect record. He was 9-for-9 on field goal attempts, with three from over 50 yards, and made all five of his point-after attempts.
But the rain in D.C. was relentless on Sunday, and Zvada was having issues getting leverage on his kicks. He missed three of his five kicks, albeit two were from over 50 yards. It was the third one, a 46-yarder that could have given the Giants a win in overtime, that is causing concern.
Head coach John Harbaugh said on Wednesday that it had to do with Zvada's plant foot.
Dominic Zvada with the first miss of his NFL career. Reports pre-game is that he struggled with long range kicks pic.twitter.com/VfEepRkN7D
— Talkin’ Giants (@TalkinGiants) October 11, 2026
"The first thing is the obvious, and the thing you coach the most is the technique. So, it's like any other position. There's a technique to it," Harbaugh told reporters on Wednesday. "And when you watch the misses, the technique is not the same as the makes. And you can see it, and you just go through that.
"I think that's the most important way to coach it. And then the other part of it is, okay, why? Because you know why. Talk through that and then make the correction and go forward. He's good, and he'll be thinking about that the next time. So, just like any other position, it's just a different type of position, right?"
Harbaugh said that special teams coordinator Chris Horton was taking the lead on straightening Zvada out and getting him back on track.
"Chris Horton does most of that," said Harbaugh. "I mean, I've been coaching that for a long time, so I can get involved in that. But I didn't have to get involved in it this time. I mean, Chris did a great job with it. And Dom already knew, really, honestly. I mean, he actually knew before the game was over, after the game. He knew what he did. It's just a matter of doing it right the next time."
Sunday's game was the first this season the Giants played on natural grass. Perhaps that played a role.
They played three games at home at MetLife Stadium and one out in Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium. Both venues have artificial surfaces.
The Giants will play just one other game on natural grass this season, Week 9 at Philadelphia. The rest are at either MetLife Stadium or venues with artificial turf (Indianapolis, Seattle, Detroit, and Dallas).
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants' John Harbaugh remains confident in kicker Dominic Zvada
