NFL Kickers Had A Nightmare Start In Week 1

The final score is still the name of the game in the NFL.

How the victory happens isn’t important as long as the team has more points than their opponent.

Therefore, every point counts, especially if the game is tight.

Two-point conversions could spell the difference between winning and losing, just like in the New York Giants’ one-point win over the Tennessee Titans.

In that case, extra points and field goals are essential when no team has established a clear advantage.

The importance of these opportunities came into the limelight in Week 1 of the 2022 season because several opportunities were squandered.

There were FOURTEEN missed kicks (XP, XPB, FG) across the league today 😳 pic.twitter.com/MscuvE2ZZ8

— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) September 12, 2022

Of the 14 games scheduled yesterday, placekickers accounted for 14 muffed opportunities, be it an extra-point, a blocked extra-point, or a missed field goal.

Those missed opportunities proved to be important in two games that went to overtime.

Highlighting The Importance Of Kickers

Rodrigo Blankenship had a chance to give the Indianapolis Colts the lead against the Houston Texans.

Unfortunately, he missed a 42-yard field goal with two minutes left in overtime.

No team scored after, and the game ended in a 20-20 tie.

Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers had a chance to win their season opener via a field goal.

But Evan McPherson and Chris Boswell missed field goal tries that could have iced the game.

Eventually, Boswell nailed a 53-yarder that ended the game with a Steelers victory.

Sports media personality Skip Bayless drew much criticism after saying that kickers are not football players.

But those misses proved that kickers can change a game’s complexion.

Perhaps the jitters were also settling in, given that the season had just started.

However, they will have plenty of time to practice those attempts before Week 2 arrives.