The Dallas Cowboys played a great game on Monday night, but it was far from perfect.
One issue they had in the game was with kicker Brett Maher.
Unexpectedly, Maher missed four extra points in the game and was 1/5 in total.
Even though the missed extra points did not matter in the Wild Card round, they could be crucial this Sunday.
The Cowboys travel to the San Francisco 49ers, and once again Maher will be faced with kicking on a grass field.
But, to try and avoid the kicking disaster of last week, the Cowboys signed kicker Tristan Vizcaino to the practice squad.
It seems likely the Cowboys will be sticking with Maher for the Divisional Round.
But, the competition this week in practice could tell us a lot.
With a gusty wind, Brett Maher went 6-6 kicking in the portion of practice open to the media. New kicker Tristan Vizcaino went 3-5. pic.twitter.com/fWsv9qz5Z8
— Bobby Belt (@BobbyBeltTX) January 19, 2023
It seems like everyone within the organization has supported Maher through this tough time.
In general, he has been very good for them this season.
He was fifth in the NFL in points scored, and also 29-32 kicking field goals and 50-53 from extra points during the regular season.
Maher was money in the bank for the Cowboys all year long.
It seems like this current stretch is just a case of the “yips”.
Cowboys special team coordinator John Fassel made no excuses for Maher.
Cowboys special teams coord. John Fassel met with K Brett Maher today after 4 missed PATs, first ever in NFL history.
“He was distraught,” Fassel said. “Bad day at the office, but I have full confidence he’ll rebound.”
Important to confront rather than pretend it didn’t happen. pic.twitter.com/KtqCwwTJOJ
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) January 17, 2023
With everything on the line against the 49ers, Dallas cannot afford another bad day at the office from Maher.
Hopefully, he will be able to get his confidence back this week during practice.
One thing the Cowboys could elect to do is activate both kickers for the game.
Then if Maher was to miss his first kick, the Cowboys could make the change to Vizcaino.
Either way, the Cowboys will need to make all of their kicks in San Francisco on Sunday.
NEXT: 2 Unsung Heroes From The Cowboys' Wild Card Win