NFL Kickers rarely get praise when they succeed. But when they fail, it’s “off with his head.” It doesn’t make much sense to me since I have over 10 years of football playing experience and it was rare that we get recognition for putting the team on our back.
Most of the time, field goals are pretty automatic, but when they do not go as planned and we miss, all hell breaks loose.
We will talk about some moments in NFL History that have been quite a disappointment in the world of kickers. This post is not trying to put a bad name to these kickers.
Just a side note, these are not stat-based, they are all special in their own way. If I made a post only about the biggest misses in NFL Kickers history, I could do that too but these are more situational and modern to the situation.
These are kicks which have been almost spoon fed a win, or everything on paper seems to add up but the cards just don’t fall right on this one.
Which Kickers Are We Talking About Today?
Also, Most of these NFL Kickers have gone on to have incredible careers (after these moments or outside of football), these were just some unlucky moments that will forever be in the books. We will quickly highlight the kickers below. (They’re in no specific order)
- Cody Parkey Double Doink
- Scott Norwood Super Bowl Wide Right
- John Carney Missed Extra Point
- Gary Anderson 38 Yarder To Ruin a Perfect Season & Super Bowl Game
- Billy Cundiff 2011 AFC Championship Game
- Blair Walsh 2015 Wild-Card Playoff Game 27 Yarder
- Mike Vanderjagt, 2005 AFC Divisional Playoff Shank
- Roberto Aguayo’s Career
ALL OF THESE LINKS SHOULD BE OPENED ON YOUTUBE AS THE NFL WON’T ALLOW THEM ON ANY OTHER PLATFORM. Thank you and Enjoy!
#1 Cody Parkey’s Double Doink
Okay technically it was a block but Cody definitely had a tough game here when he was coming off of a pretty rough season going 20/26 (76%) prior to the game. Which a few years ago, would have been perfectly fine. But unfortunately for Cody, kickers are continuing to improve.
Parkey was feeling good being 3/3 on the night. But for someone who pays attention to stats, for someone who is going 76% on the season tends to make 3/3 of his kicks. So, with only a few seconds left in the game, Cody gets a kick tipped just enough for it to hit the left upright, bounce off the crossbar and end up bouncing back at him. Yikes.
#2 NFL Kickers Scott Norwood Wide Right In Super Bowl
Scott had struggled with field goals past 40 through his career. He was 1 for 5 past 40 yards on his career. That’s not the consistency today’s standards are looking for.
He lined up for a 47 Yard Game-Winning Kick against the New York Giants, the kick just barely missed wide right. That sent the bills on 4 consecutive super bowl appearances, which they lost all 4 🙁
Just from a fellow field goal kicker to another, his steps, routine, and stance play a huge part in his professional consistency. Due to past experiences, we have written about how to improve your field goals in other posts.
#3 John Carney Missed Extra Point
John Carney, a very well established businessman and mentor for kickers and punters around the country, had a moment forever talked about in sports history.
Prior to that kick, Carney was perfect on the year in extra points and was on a team ready to go to the playoffs if they won against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The touchdown prior to the kick was one of the most exhilarating plays in history. It was full of backwards passes and was later called the river city relay.
The score was now Saints 19 – Jacksonville 20 and therefore, Carney needed to make the extra point to send the game into overtime. This is what happened as a result:
After this game, he then played 7 more seasons in the NFL and was even selected to a pro bowl. He just left his hips open a little too much and the ball went to his right. Oh well…
#4 NFL Kickers Gary Anderson 38 Yarder “The Miss”
This was the famous kick in Minnesota.
Randy Moss was doing Randy Moss things, the Vikings were at their peak. Anderson hadn’t missed a kick the whole regular season. Had he made it, they would have gone to the super bowl. Until he didn’t…
It was such a shocking miss, How I met Your Mother Had a Section on an episode for this part.
Damn!!
#5 NFL Kickers Blair Walsh 2015 wild-card playoff Game
Another Viking Kicker left history in Minnesota and most likely had a bit of Deja Vu For most. Blair Walsh was 3/3 on the game and this kick would have put the Vikings into the next round of the playoffs.
Blair had an 88% conversion rate prior to this game but this miss started his downfall. He made no higher than 75% his next two seasons and I can’t really blame him. I’ve had devastating games that set me back a few games mentally.
But we learn from them and come out stronger on the other side.
Here’s the clip to the 27 yard miss:
#6 Billy Cundiff 2011 AFC Championship Game
Billy Cundiff, known for having a smooth swing, missed a 32-yard field goal that would tie the game and potentially send the Baltimore Ravens to the Super Bowl.
He caught the outside of the ball, and also swing around the ball causing it to heavily curve and miss way left.
It’s tough to watch since he had one of the strongest legs out of many NFL kickers. But that doesn’t always translate well to field goals.
After the kick, Cundiff watches in disbelief as the kick goes left and the Patriots celebrate winning the game and move on to the super bowl.
#7 Mike Vanderjagt, 2005 AFC divisional playoff shank
Mike Vanderjagt, the former kicker for the Indianapolis Colts, Missed a 46 yard game winner which would have sent the Colts into the conference championship.
Unfortunately, as you can imagine, he did not make the kick. He never got any rings while in Indy. But fortunately, Adam Vinateri Came in, stole the show, and got 2 rings for the team.
#8 Roberto Aguayo’s NFL Career
We’ve all had bad games, or maybe seasons, but to go from the best in the history of college football to the worst in the NFL in 1 year is pretty insane.
The most insane part? Tampa Bay Buccaneers Drafted him in the 2nd round. I can’t blame them, on paper, he seems like a sure-fire way to get points. Unfortunately, his ego got the best of him.
Hopefully he can make it back in because he has a cannon but only time will tell.
In Conclusion for NFL Kickers Most dissapointing moments
Football games are full of emotion, and they’re usually won, or in this case, lost by kickers.
In all my years of kicking, I’ve definitely had games that I wasn’t proud of. But the most important thing is to keep doing the right things and God always finds ways to bring blessings to your life.
Most of these kickers are doing amazing things now and it really shows you that football is such a small part of an athlete’s life. Learning to live life after football takes time but it can be done.
None of these kickers are currently in the NFL anymore and at least 2 of them have their own kicking consulting business.
In fact, the most popular one of these individuals is John Carney’s @ “Carney Coaching.” click the link to be brought to his website to book a lesson.
While he may have had some moments in his career which might be bad, he still played in the NFL, a stat for which 99% of Americans can’t say they have done. When you go to his website, He has training facilities, workouts, eating plans, and programs to upgrade a kicker into the next level of what they’re capable of doing.
Therefore, If you guys have any questions about myself, or kicking, or anything else, feel free to leave a comment and i’ll get back to you! Otherwise follow me on Instagram @ Eric Piccione, Follow me on Pinterest @ Kickers Of Earth.
Lastly, If you are wanting to learn more on how to unlock the power of the hips, the most explosive muscle for kicking, click this link!
Thanks for reading and stay amazing!
- Eric
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