Who Should I Start? Matt Gay or Charlie Smyth

Wednesday, September 10, 5:43 PM

Washington Commanders kicker Matt Gay did not attempt a field goal in their 21-6 Week 1 against the Giants, but converted all three extra points. Gay likely would have had a field goal opportunity at the end of the first half, but Washington was called for an intentional grounding penalty with a handful of seconds left and no timeouts left, leaving the clock to run out. The offense had other sloppy moments that ended potential scoring drives early, but still moved the ball at will. In a projected shootout on Thursday night in Green Bay, Gay should be fired up as one of the top kicker options in Week 2.

Sunday, August 25, 6:35 PM

New Orleans Saints kicker Charlie Smyth (groin) didn't suit up during Sunday's preseason contest against the Tennessee Titans. The rookie kicker has been dealing with an ongoing groin issue since Friday. Head coach Dennis Allen said that the team wanted to play it safe and hold Smyth out of this game. In his absence, Blake Grupe handled the kicking duties during the preseason finale. He connected on both his field goal attempts and made all three of his extra point attempts as well. It remains to be seen which kicker the team decides to ride with into the regular season. Grupe is probably the favorite after making 30-of-37 field goal attempts and all 40 extra point attempts during his rookie season with the Saints in 2023.