NFL 2018 Week 2 Review - 7 Points & Plays Everyone Is Talking About
3. Kickers Have Forgotten How To Kick?
A kicker in the NFL is somewhat taken for granted. Whether it's stepping up to convert the point after touchdown kick, a 3 point field goal, or the nerve crunching clutch winning game kick, every single kicker is expected to make every single kick.
Week 2 has highlighted that no team should take its kicker for granted, all emphasised by the woes of Zane Gonzalez for the Cleveland Browns. Having missed a potential game-winning field goal towards the end of the fourth quarter, Gonzalez had a chance for redemption. The game climaxed with 10 seconds left on the clock, and Gonzalez had the chance to tie the game to take it to overtime. What resulted was simply disastrous as the clutch kick sailed agonisingly to the right of the posts. The Browns were left gobsmacked and for a second week running, Gonzalez has had the chance to salvage the game for the Browns, only to come up short.
The performance from the Browns' kicker was so poor, they signed a new one the very next day. Although this seems harsh, the NFL is cut throat and leaves no room for error. Gonzalez wasn’t the only kicker to have a nightmare game, as rookie kicker Daniel Carlson had the chance to win it for the Vikings on two separate occasions. After missing both attempts, Carlson was cut from the Vikings hours after the game.
It appears that the normally solid and dependable position of kicker has forgotten the most basic of rules – do not miss. The NFL is slowly learning just how important the un-glamorous kicker role is; it really can be the difference between a win and a loss.