Something’s amiss with NFL kickers this week as they fail on 12 PATs
NFL kickers missed like never before Sunday, setting a record with 12 failed extra-point attempts.
Kickers missed left and right, had kicks blocked and hit the uprights. Kickers missed in the wind and indoors. It’s the most point-after-touchdown misses in one week since the NFL merger.
12 extra points missed today are the most in a single day in NFL history, according to @EliasSports!
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 21, 2016
The NFL moved extra-point attempts back before last season because the kicks had become routine, and professionals almost never missed. The 20-yard attempt became a 33-yarder. In Week 13 of last season, kickers missed eight. That mark was eclipsed by mid-afternoon Sunday.
Cincinnati’s Mike Nugent and Robbie Gould of the New York Giants each missed two extra-point attempts.
Mike Nugent hits nothing but goal post on two extra point attempts pic.twitter.com/TJeSLvWQ8j
— The Cauldron (ICYMI) (@CauldronICYMI) November 20, 2016
Chicago’s Connor Barth, Minnesota’s Kai Forbath, Jacksonville’s Jason Myers, Cleveland’s Cody Parkey and New England’s Stephen Gostkowski each missed one. Seattle’s Steven Hauschka and Detroit’s Matt Prater had kicks blocked.
At night, Dustin Hopkins of Washington clanged one off the upright, in windy conditions.
Barth and Gould also were kicking in gusty winds, in East Rutherford, N.J.
“It was much windier than it usually is,” Giants long snapper Zak DeOssie said. “It was a cross-wind from our bench to theirs, then it switched toward the end of the game diagonal from our tunnel to the opposite tunnel.”
Forbath, Myers and Prater all missed despite being indoors. Forbath had just replaced Blair Walsh, who missed four PATs this season.
In the early-afternoon games, Nugent’s misses arguably had the biggest impact. The Bengals lost 16-12 to the Buffalo Bills and drove all the way to Buffalo’s 27-yard line in the closing seconds. If Nugent hadn’t missed those two extra-point attempts, the Bengals could have attempted a game-winning field goal at the end of the game rather than unsuccessfully trying to score a touchdown.
The Raiders’ Sebastian Janikowski and Nick Novak of the Houston Texans could add to the total on Monday night in Mexico City. Janikowski is perfect in 23 attempts this season, while Novak is 14 for 15.
Compiled by Noel Harris
This story was originally published November 20, 2016 at 10:25 PM with the headline "Something’s amiss with NFL kickers this week as they fail on 12 PATs."