Angry teammates and redemption: NFL week 10 showed kickers matter

The leaves, great coach Buddy Ryan once joked“Football kickers are like taxis. You can always rent one.” If Ryan were alive today, he might reconsider. Kickers dominated Week 10 with a collection of horrors and heroics. A few examples of how they made their presence felt:

Denver’s Wil Lutz entered Sunday with a 95% field goal success rate this season. So when Bo Nix led the Broncos down the field and set up Lutz for a potential game-winning Kansas City Chiefs-beating 35-yarder as time expired, the odds were in his favor. BLOCK. The Chiefs won 16-14 and remain undefeated.

San Francisco 49ers kicker Jake Moody made his return after suffering a high ankle sprain following a three-week absence. Despite his fill-ins going 8-for-8 during that period, Moody resumed his role. Moody’s shaky return led to an emotional rollercoaster started when his own teammate turned on himincluded three misses and ended in redemption when he nailed a game-winning 44-yarder that narrowly lifted the 49ers over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 23-20.

Unlike Moody, there was no happy ending for Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo. Koo’s three missed field goals, including one that was blocked, were costly in Atlanta’s surprising loss to the New Orleans Saints. A loss that became even more painful because it was only three points difference.

Jake Bates, a starting kicker who never attempted a field goal during his college career (he was a kick-off specialist), hit a Lions franchise record of 58 yards to tie Detroit’s game with the Houston Texans in the fourth quarter. Then Bates, who was too working as a brick salesman not long ago he kicked the match winner from 52 yards to complete a comeback win for the Lions, who were 16 points behind. Oh, and Bates has never missed a field goal in his NFL career.

Minnesota debuted a rookie kicker, John Parker Romo, who knocked in all four of his field goal attempts, making him the key to the Vikings’ 12-7 victory over Jacksonville.

There’s nothing automatic or predictable about NFL kicking units, but this week was particularly odd. No kicker had missed three field goals in a game since 2019. This week it happened twice, thanks to Koo and Moody.

The problem with kickers is that they are supposed to be a model of fortitude, yet they can stir deep emotions in everyone around them. After Moody missed a third kick in the swirling winds on Sunday, 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel lost his cool and was noticed on the sidelines confrontation with Moody and long snapper Taybor Pepper. It was a terrible look for Samuel, who said his reaction was born of frustration. “I think he has a little dog in him,” Samuel said of Moody. ‘I didn’t say anything crazy to him. I was just a little frustrated at the time. But he went out and won the game, of course, and it didn’t bother him, so we’ll move past it.

On the other hand, the rhythm of the kicking game makes mistakes harder to swallow for many people – fans, coaches and players alike. If a receiver drops a clean pass and two plays later the running back takes it to the house, no one (except the receiver’s fantasy owner) is going to care. But a kicker missing a field goal has a build-up and expectation. That’s why the misses went deeper.

In 2019, when Cody Parkey’s infamous double-doink knocked the Bears out of the playoffs, Chicago coach Matt Nagy was so excited that he brought in what seemed like a million kickers to try out at minicamp and forced them all to move on from 43 to kick. yards, the distance Parkey missed. Parkey’s miss was the beginning of the end for Nagy, and the Bears have been in disarray ever since.

Kickers have thankless jobs. In fact, they are only celebrated when kicking game winners or long field goals. And for those who denigrate kickers, it should be noted that the long kicks are becoming more and more common. Soon, the regularity of 60-yard marks will likely become a thing.

In a competition it is all about competitive advantage, kickers are important. How they gel in the locker room, whether they are healthy, their ability to be a gamer. And yes, their ability to make most, and ideally, all of their kicks. Maybe a team will get lucky with an ex-MLS center back like the Cowboys’ Brandon Aubrey, who can grab 65-yarders. But kickers are not a uniform breed. They need to be nurtured, involved and guided when they are in a slump. Because, as we’ve seen this week, they can really make or break a game… and a season.

MVP of the week

Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals. There was 8:03 left in the first half, with the Cardinals leading the New York Jets 14-6. Kyler Murray was flattened by Jets linebacker Quincy Williams, losing his helmet. The old Murray may have been irritated by his offensive line. But this year’s Murray is a cold-blooded beast. This year’s Murray stood up, smiled and then threw a dime to Marvin Harrison Jr. for a touchdown.

Murray destroyed the Jets defense an easy 31-6 win. His new-found maturity was clearly visible, especially when it came to his decision-making and accuracy. Murray had just two incompletions on the day and at one point threw 17 consecutive completions, a Cardinals record. He was adept on the ground, punching in two of Arizona’s touchdowns with his legs only to pass through another through the air. Most importantly, he actually looks like he’s having fun.

Video of the week

Pittsburghs 28-27 victory about the Washington Commanders was a nail-biter. But it was the first and last touchdowns that illustrated just how spectacular the Steelers’ offense is becoming under Russell Wilson. George Pickens scored the first points of the game with a catch he would make come hell or high water.

The game-defining catch came from brand new signing Mike Williams after a beautiful floating pass from Wilson.

There were some defensive holes and an embarrassing missed punt attempt, but there’s a lot to like in Pittsburgh. Starting with Wilson, who is 3-0 as the Steelers’ starter. Now sitting at 7-2, the question for the Steelers is “Will Mike Tomlin keep his back-to-back streak of non-losing seasons alive?” passed? phase. The goals are now much loftier.

Statistic of the week

23. That’s the number of consecutive drives without a touchdown for the Chicago Bears. The hope that defined the Bears’ offseason and early season has evaporated. Chicago fans cheered from start to finish as the Bears’ impetusless offense continued its freefall a 19-3 loss to the New England Patriots. No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams once again held the ball for far too long. Has this kid ever heard of a checkdown? Are the coaches even trying to set up some high percentage plays? Whatever the case, the combination of Williams dancing around and a weak offensive line resulted in nine sacks. Somehow Williams escaped this physically unscathed. His mental state may be a different story. The Bears have fallen to 4-5 and a coaching change seems inevitable.

Elsewhere in the competition

There was a great moment in the 49ers-Bucs game when San Francisco rookie wideout Ricky Pearsall caught his first NFL touchdown just two months after being shot in the chest. Speaking of comebacks, running back extraordinaire Christian McCaffrey made his season debut after dealing with Achilles tendonitis. Last season’s Offensive Player of the Year picked up where he left off, racking up 107 yards on Sunday. He was especially productive from the closing stages and it was immediately clear that his presence transformed the 49ers’ offense.

We briefly mentioned the Lions game above, but it’s hard to do it justice. Jared Goff threw five interceptions, Detroit trailed 23-7 at halftime and the Lions still won 26-23 to move to 8-1 this season. Not only are they the best team in the NFL, they are also the most exciting to watch.

Jerry Jones told reporters he will not fire Mike McCarthy this season. His rationale is that he regrets the times he made a mid-season coaching change. The Dallas Cowboys fell to 3-6 after a loss smoked by the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. Cooper Rush, starting for an injured Dak Prescott, threw for only 45 yards, and the team lost four fumbles. Jones seems content to torture his fanbase for the rest of the season.

What a debut for interim head coach Darren Rizzi, who led the New Orleans Saints a 20-17 upset of the Atlanta Falcons. It was a surprising turn of events for Rizzi, who later told the media he had expected a lousy day. Literal.

Poor Tyrone Tracy Jr. The rookie appeared inconsolable on the New York Giants sideline after fumbling the first half of overtime to set up an easy Carolina Panthers field goal. Tracy deserves little blame, though, as he was once again a bright spot for the Giants, rushing for 103 yards, including a sensational 32-yard touchdown, and averaging 5.7 yards per carry. Giants fans should actually be amazed at Tracy’s football IQ the 20-17 defeat puts the 2-8 Giants in the photo to secure the number 1 choice in the 2025 draft. Miami’s stud QB Cam Ward should look especially attractive for Big Blue after Daniel Jones had another terrible performance, undermining his goals throughout and throwing two picks.