NFL: What is the biggest choke for a missed kick ever?

Trap Jesus

Registered User
Feb 13, 2012
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Numerous factors to consider:

- Distance
- How bad the miss was
- Importance of the game
- Importance of the kick
- Game factors that led to the kick (ie. miraculous last second play that needs a PAT to tie or win)
- History of the kicker (if they're really good or really bad, either can play a part in a "choke")

Two that come to mind for me are Blair Walsh in the playoffs vs. Seattle (I guess the argument against this would be laces in):



and Carney's missed PAT to eliminate the Saints from the playoffs:

 

Terry Yake

Registered User
Aug 5, 2013
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scott norwood

carney's missed extra point after the river city relay is up there for me too
 

HoseEmDown

Registered User
Mar 25, 2012
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Not sure who the kicker was in each case but all the wide right and then wide left from FSU-Miami series.
 

c9777666

Registered User
Aug 31, 2016
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Norwood was a kicker who mostly kicked on artificial turf

47 yards on grass was not a gimme for Norwood

Even if Blair Walsh makes his kick, the Vikings were not gonna beat Arizona

I go with Cundiff's miss
 

Reality Check

Registered User
May 28, 2008
16,696
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Blair Walsh is the most recent and might be my favorite. People stood outside in horrible freezing conditions just to watch him miss a practical PAT.

Before throwing in my own contribution I'll rank the others named.

1) Walsh
2) Vanderjagt (set up by a miracle Bettis fumble and returned by a guy who was stabbed earlier that week) is this high due to his ego. At home, in doors and he absolutely shanked that kick. Spawned the "Idiot Kicker" moniker which was another plus.
3) Cundiff: Kick should have been a gimme and he shanked that was one as bad as Walsh and Vanderjagt. Would have only tied to the game too.
4) Norwood: More notoriety because that was as close as Buffalo came to winning the Super Bowl.
5) Anderson: Shocking but Minnesota was up by 7, at home with 2 minutes left and couldn't close it out. He didn't completely yank it like the top three in this list either. Minnesota had their chance in overtime as well and still couldn't get it done.

Now for what I consider #1:


 

Blackhawkswincup

RIP Fugu
Jun 24, 2007
186,842
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Chicagoland
Blair Walsh is the most recent and might be my favorite. People stood outside in horrible freezing conditions just to watch him miss a practical PAT.

Before throwing in my own contribution I'll rank the others named.

1) Walsh
2) Vanderjagt (set up by a miracle Bettis fumble and returned by a guy who was stabbed earlier that week) is this high due to his ego. At home, in doors and he absolutely shanked that kick. Spawned the "Idiot Kicker" moniker which was another plus.
3) Cundiff: Kick should have been a gimme and he shanked that was one as bad as Walsh and Vanderjagt. Would have only tied to the game too.
4) Norwood: More notoriety because that was as close as Buffalo came to winning the Super Bowl.
5) Anderson: Shocking but Minnesota was up by 7, at home with 2 minutes left and couldn't close it out. He didn't completely yank it like the top three in this list either. Minnesota had their chance in overtime as well and still couldn't get it done.

Now for what I consider #1:




Yeah the Lin Elliott one needs to be #1 just for the complete and utter disaster his day was

Norwood missed a difficult kick at moment his team needed him most but with Elliott that disastrous game was his last in NFL

At 27 yrs old the doors to NFL closed on him because of that game (He actually had by 90's standards good seasons in KC)

Given kickers can stick around well into 40's it says something when one game shuts the door on your career

Only Vikes gave him call that offseason and cut him in camp/preseason
 

Bocephus86

Registered User
Mar 2, 2011
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Not as bad or memorable as most referenced here but Gostkowski missing an extra point against the Broncos in 2016 cost the Pats a shot at (another) the Superbowl (Pats lost 20-18 but because of a failed two point conversion when trying to force OT late; who knows how overtime would have unfolded).
 

c9777666

Registered User
Aug 31, 2016
19,892
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Not as bad or memorable as most referenced here but Gostkowski missing an extra point against the Broncos in 2016 cost the Pats a shot at (another) the Superbowl (Pats lost 20-18 but because of a failed two point conversion when trying to force OT late; who knows how overtime would have unfolded).

That is basically the only reason N.E. is not aiming for 6 straight SB's
 
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EpochLink

Canucks and Jets fan
Aug 1, 2006
59,514
15,336
Vancouver, BC
Nate Kaeding of the Chargers:

2004 Wild Card: misses game winning kick in OT, Jets win in OT with their kicker.
2006 Divisional: misses game tying kick which would've pushed the game to OT, Pats celebrate on the field with the 'lights out' dance.
2009 Divisional: misses 3 field goals against the Jets.

I'm surprised no one brought him up.
 

YEM

Registered User
Mar 7, 2010
5,718
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Norwood is up there but I don't think it's close to the top
at the time [nearly 30 years ago] that kick [47 yds] was made only 60% of the time
odds are a little better than a coin flip
and that still might have been the most pressured situation for a kick of all time
I'd vote for one of the chip shots missed as mentioned above
 

CDJ

Registered User
Nov 20, 2006
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Hell baby
As a pats fan the cundiff one is by far my favorite

My roommate was a ravens fan and we were watching it together. Memories <3
 

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