The Divisional Round in this year’s NFL playoffs was a sobering reminder that kickers can ruin a season with a single swing of the leg.
Green Bay lost a tough 24-21 game in San Francisco after rookie kicker Anders Carlson was wide left on a 41-yard field goal that would have given his team a 24-17 cushion with 6:18 left. The 49ers drove for the go-ahead touchdown before Jordan Love threw a game-ending interception, saving Carlson the sting of possibly failing (again) to send the game to overtime.
#Packers announce they signed kicker Jack Pedlasny, who spent last training camp with the Vikings but did not kick in NFL last season. He made 61-74 field goals over 3 college seasons at Georgia, an 82.4% clip.
That’s 10.6% better than Anders Carlson’s college clip at Auburn.
— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) January 24, 2024
That figured to be the worst kick we’d see all weekend as you rarely see such a big miss for a team in the lead. But then on Sunday, Buffalo kicker Tyler Bass was wide right – the worst phrase you can hear for a Buffalo kicker – on a 44-yard field goal that would have tied the game with Kansas City with 1:43 left. Instead, another Bills season ended at the hands of the Chiefs.
Both misses were bad, especially when kickers are one of the best arguments for today’s players being better. So many kickers today can make a 50-yard field goal (or longer) look routine, but when the season is on the line in the playoffs, we still see pressure can have an impact. Alas, Carlson just might be bad at this job, but this miss won’t help his psyche going forward. Ask Lin Elliott (1995 Chiefs vs. Colts) what a miss like this can do to your career.
But were either of these kicker misses among the 5 most memorable in NFL playoff history? We put together a list by balancing the difficulty of the kick with the importance of the game, and we can say the latest misses weren’t as bad as the trauma we are about to revisit below.
The Korean call of the Tyler Bass missed FG is ELECTRIC
— Bookmakers Review (@BMRReviews) January 23, 2024
5. Mike Vanderjagt – 2005 Colts vs. Steelers in AFC Divisional Round
- The Miss: 46-yard field goal while trailing 21-18 with 21 seconds left
He missed it.
That was the phrase we got to watch a montage of Bill Cowher, Jerome Bettis, Tony Dungy, and Peyton Manning all say as they watched Mike Vanderjagt completely shank a 46-yard field goal wide right to end one of the wildest 4th quarters in NFL playoff history.
The 2005 Colts once looked like a team of destiny, starting 13-0 and controlling games in a way few teams in history ever did. But after a loss to the Chargers, the Colts kind of shut things down the final 2 games, resting starters and getting ready for a playoff run that they hoped would lead to the 1st Super Bowl in the Manning era.
But all that rest did Indy no favors as they came out rusty while the No. 6 seed Steelers, who were playing for their playoff lives the last 5 games, came out hot and took a 14-0 lead. The Colts still trailed 21-3 going into the 4th quarter, but that’s when the game reached insane levels.
The Colts put together a rally and did get the ball back while only trailing 21-18. But more pressure on Manning stopped the Colts on downs, and the Steelers could punch in a dagger touchdown. Except no one imagined Jerome Bettis would fumble in that spot, and Nick Harper picked up the ball for the Colts. He could have returned it down the sideline for a possible touchdown, but instead he went down the middle of the field and Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was able to tackle him at midfield, saving the season and the legacies of Bettis and coach Bill Cowher in the process.
But the Colts had a chance to win the game in regulation after all that. The Pittsburgh defense fortunately stopped them from doing so, but they were close enough to send the game to overtime with a 46-yard field goal.
It’s a great day to remember Mike Vanderjagt choking and the Steelers going on to win their 5th Super Bowl pic.twitter.com/Svd79LNzya
— Duff (@nocontextduff) January 26, 2023
Vanderjagt was one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history at this point. He made 87.5% of his field goals in Indianapolis (1998-2005), but there were always concerns about him in the clutch.
In a 2000 wild card loss in sunny Miami, Vanderjagt convinced his coaches to decline a penalty in overtime because he could make a 49-yard field goal to win the game. Vanderjagt was so wide right on the kick that it could have landed in the parking lot, and Miami went on to win with a touchdown. The Dolphins have not won a playoff game in the 23 seasons since.
Sure enough, history repeated itself. In the dome, Vanderjagt was nowhere close from 46 yards away as the kick sailed wide right, and the Colts lost another playoff game. The only good news is they got rid of Vanderjagt and replaced him with Adam Vinatieri, Mr. Clutch, and they won the Super Bowl a year later.
Vanderjagt went to the Cowboys in 2006, struggled there, and never played in the NFL again.
Here’s Bill Cowher calling a time-out to “freeze” Mike Vanderjagt, who gave a point when he did it. He then proceeded to miss the field goal. Vanderjagt had never missed a field goal in the dome up to that point. 17 years ago today #Steelers #NFL #HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/frHE95La7B
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) January 15, 2023
4. Blair Walsh – 2015 Vikings vs. Seahawks in NFC Wild Card
- The Miss: 27-yard field goal while trailing 10-9 with 26 seconds left
In one of the coldest games in NFL history (minus-6 degrees), the Vikings probably wished their stadium with a dome was ready for the 2015 season. But kicker Blair Walsh went from hero to goat in a hurry with one kick.
Despite the bitter conditions, Walsh was having a good day with successful field goals of 22, 43, and 47 yards. The Vikings never found the end zone that day, so they rode Walsh to a 9-0 lead going into the 4th quarter.
But after the Seahawks came back to take a 10-9 lead, the game was going to come down to Walsh’s leg again. Keep in mind this was a kicker who made some buzz in his rookie year in 2012 with his proficiency for 50-yard field goals. He was 10-for-10 from that distance and named first-team All-Pro as a rookie. He also led the NFL with 34 made field goals in the 2015 season.
The Vikings put together a drive and set up Walsh for a 27-yard field goal with 26 seconds left. Despite the shaky history of Minnesota kickers in the playoffs, it wasn’t a big concern that he was going to be kicking such a short field goal. It sure looked like the Vikings were going to take the lead and probably win this game 12-10.
4 years ago today: The #Seahawks moved on to the Divisional Round after Blair Walsh missed a 27-yard FG attempt with 26 seconds remaining.pic.twitter.com/oH6LleoIbH
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 10, 2020
But that’s when history was made as Walsh pulled the kick wide left, the shortest do-or-die missed field goal in NFL playoff history. Walsh only played 9 more games for the Vikings before going to Seattle of all places in 2017. But he never appeared in another NFL game after that despite numerous tryouts and contracts.
The Vikings likely weren’t good enough to advance past the divisional round of the playoffs that year even if Walsh made the kick. But the miss still serves as a reminder that nothing is guaranteed in this game, especially if it involves a kicker for the Vikings.
3. Scott Norwood – 1990 Bills vs. Giants in Super Bowl XXV
- The Miss: 47-yard field goal while trailing 20-19 with 8 seconds left
In terms of importance, this would be No. 1 as it is the only game-deciding miss in a Super Bowl. But in defense of Norwood, 47 yards was a tougher kick in the 1990 season than it is for kickers today.
In his career, Norwood was only 2-for-10 on field goals of 50-plus yards. From 40-49, he was 37-of-61 (60.7%). Even from 30-39, he only made 77.2% of his field goals.
Just for comparison to today’s kickers, Tyler Bass, the Buffalo kicker who missed last week, is 12-of-19 (63.2%) from 50-plus yards and 26-of-31 (83.4%) from 40-49 yards.
Norwood was not great from distance, and he was not great on natural grass. The Bills played on AstroTurf at home back then. The great Buffalo offense could have gotten him closer than they did.
January 27, 1991: With :08 left in the game, Scott Norwood’s 47-yard FG attempt sails Wide Right and the Giants beat the Bills 20-19 to win SuperBowl XXV in Tampa. pic.twitter.com/fcnUaBsbz7
— This Day In Sports Clips (@TDISportsClips) January 26, 2023
He at least gave the kick a solid effort as it was only wide right by a few yards. It wasn’t a total shank job. But when it comes to missed field goals in NFL history, this one always must be high on the list.
It especially hurt for the Bills as they returned to the next 3 Super Bowls and never came close to winning like they did in this one. As for Norwood, he played 1 more season for the Bills before his NFL career ended.
2. Gary Anderson – 1998 Vikings vs. Falcons in NFC Championship Game
- The Miss: 38-yard field goal while leading 27-20 with 2:07 left
Our No. 2 memorable miss is the only one on the list that came before the 2-minute warning and the only one where the team was in the lead.
We mentioned in the intro that it is rare for a kicker to have such a bad miss in the lead. But even if Anders Carlson made his kick for the Packers, the 49ers still had a chance to tie the game and force overtime.
This one in the 1998 NFC Championship Game was a killer as it cost the Vikings a 10-point lead with 2:07 left. In that case, the game is all but over as the Falcons would have had to manufacture 2 scores with just 1 timeout left. When you start having to factor an onside kick recovery into your comeback, you might as well forget it.
But what makes Anderson’s miss so brutal is that he had the league’s first perfect regular season for kicking at age 39, the high point in what was a fantastic, long career. Anderson was 35-for-35 on field goals and 59-for-59 on extra points in that 1998 season that saw the Vikings break the NFL record for points scored in a season.
A simple 38-yard field goal in the dome at home and the Vikings are likely going to the Super Bowl with a 17-1 record that year. But Anderson was shockingly wide left, and that shock seemed to throw the whole team off. The Falcons drove for the tying touchdown and the game went to overtime.
Granted, the Vikings had multiple chances to win the game in overtime but never did so. To twist the knife even deeper, the Falcons won 30-27 after Morten Andersen (no relation) made a 38-yard field goal, the same distance Anderson missed from.
With respect to those Dirty Bird Falcons, this miss robbed football fans of what could have been one of the greatest Super Bowls ever. The Broncos started that season 13-0 and were looking to repeat. The Vikings had this incredible offense with a rejuvenated Randall Cunningham throwing to Cris Carter and sensational rookie Randy Moss. It would have been quite the spectacle and possibly an instant classic Super Bowl instead of the Falcons-Broncos dud we got.
As for Anderson, he kicked another 4 seasons in Minnesota and played 2 more years with the Titans before finally retiring at 45. He retired as the NFL’s all-time leader in points scored and field goals made (since surpassed in both), but sadly he may be remembered best for this miss.
1. Billy Cundiff – 2011 Ravens vs. Patriots in AFC Championship Game
- The Miss: 32-yard field goal while trailing 23-20 with 15 seconds left
While it was not the Super Bowl, a Super Bowl appearance was hanging on the line. There have only been 2 missed clutch field goals in a championship game in NFL history. This was the shorter of the 2, a full 15 yards shorter than Buffalo’s Scott Norwood in Super Bowl XXV, and both benefitted Bill Belichick, the coach of the Patriots and the defensive coordinator of the 1990 Giants.
Some guys have all the luck, and the ending to this game was one of the worst double whammies for any team in the history of the playoffs. The Ravens were a 7-point underdog in New England, but they played impressively and were hanging tough with Tom Brady and Belichick.
After the defense forced a quick 3-and-out, Joe Flacco got the ball back with 1:44 at his own 21 in a 23-20 game. He put together a good drive that reached the New England 14. Flacco threw to the end zone for Lee Evans, who had the go-ahead touchdown with 22 seconds left, but defensive back Sterling Moore knocked it out of Evans’ hands and it was incomplete. A great defensive play by Moore but also a horrible effort by Evans, who needed to hold onto that ball like it was a newborn baby.
Two snaps after that disappointment, the Ravens were going to settle for a 32-yard field goal and overtime. That should have been simple. Kicker Billy Cundiff was an All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection in 2010, and he was 20-of-22 on field goals from under 40 yards in 2011.
January 22, 2012
Billy Cundiff misses a 32-yard FG by a country mile with 15 seconds to go.
CB Sterling Moore breaks up a potential go ahead TD pass to Lee Evans as the Patriots defeat the despised Ravens (23-20) in the AFC Championship gamepic.twitter.com/5Be03J3CXg
— Boston Sports Info (@bostonsportsinf) January 22, 2022
But Cundiff pulled the kick wide left with 15 seconds left and the Ravens lost. First, they don’t get the go-ahead touchdown, then they can’t even get a 32-yard field goal for overtime. Brutal stuff.
But there was some good to come out of this heartache for Baltimore. Like how the Colts ditched Mike Vanderjagt for Adam Vinatieri in 2006 after his playoff miss, the Ravens ditched Cundiff and replaced him with Justin Tucker for the 2012 season. Tucker immediately won a Super Bowl in his rookie season, and he has developed into arguably the greatest kicker in NFL history.
Cundiff played 4 more years for a variety of teams but that is the kick he’ll be remembered best for.
