The Dallas Cowboys played a near-perfect game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday; well, except for one player. Brett Maher suffered a total collapse on a night in which he missed a total of four extra points, going just 1-for-5 in the Cowboys’ 31-14 win.
The acting was not just bad, but historically bad. With all four misses, Maher became the first kicker in NFL history to miss four extra points in one game.
With each miss, it was clear the Cowboys were growing more frustrated with him on the sideline. When he missed his third kick, Dak Prescott was scowling on the sideline as Peyton and Eli Manning looked in shock.
Maher appears to have contracted a case of yips. He not only missed his first four downs against the Buccaneers, but also missed his only down in Week 18, bringing his streak of consecutive misses to five. However, that streak ended in the fourth quarter on Monday when Maher finally scored an extra point, drawing a standing ovation from the crowd at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
Despite Maher’s historic playoff collapse, the Cowboys plan to keep him for their divisional round playoff matchup against the 49ers.
“I believe in hot hand and I believe in yips, absolutely,” special teams coordinator John Fassel said on ESPN. “And you know, sometimes you wonder how you get to the yips, and sometimes you wonder how you get back to the hot hand. I think it’s just keep coming down the line and shooting that thing. We missed a couple of free throws [Monday] … He had a warm hand. Let’s face it, it just failed [six] kicks all season. Yips happen, so hopefully a hot hand will emerge.”
Dallas is adding some security, however, with NFL media reports who plans to sign Tristán Vizcaíno to the practice squad, pending a physical examination. Vizcaino, 26, punted for the Arizona Cardinals this season with Matt Prater sidelined. In Week 10 against the Los Angeles Rams, he made his two field goals and three extra points. He then joined the New England Patriots, where he served as kicker in Weeks 13 and 16.
An undrafted free agent in the 2018 draft, Vizcaino has made 11 of his 12 career field goals (47 long), but only 15 of his 20 extra points. Still, don’t expect Vizcaino to see the field unless Maher continues to fight.
“We have to prepare him to go [for San Francisco]added head coach Mike McCarthy, via NBCDWF. “We need him. He’s been super key for us all year.”
Maher also seems to have the support of his teammates.
An especially supportive teammate was Dak Prescott.
“I am the biggest fan of Money Maher”, Prescott said after the win. “I talked to him individually after the game, I just said, ‘Hey, let him go, we’re going to need him.’ I only played as s—a week ago, so that happens. I mean that happens. Knowing what He’s done that guy, with the stamina he’s shown throughout his career. I personally have no doubt he’ll come back and be perfect and help us win.”
The Cowboys kicker struggled with extra points at times during the regular season, but it never got that bad. During the 2022 season, he scored 50 of 53 extra points, which was good for a 94.3% conversion rate that ranked 22nd for any kicker who attempted 15 or more extra points.
Although he couldn’t hit from close range on Monday, Maher has run into the clutch several times this year and has had no problem landing long kicks for the Cowboys. He was not only 9 of 11 from 50 yards or more in 2022, but also holds the NFL record for most field goals of 60 yards or more with four. It’s the short things that have been problematic.
Since the extra point moved to 33 yards in 2015, some kickers have struggled, but they hardly ever struggle like Maher did on Monday night. In fact, only one other kicker has missed three extra points in any game over the last seven years and that was Matt Gay, who went 2-for-5 while playing for the Buccaneers in a 35-22 win against the Falcons in November 2019 ( Gay now plays for the Rams).
Other than Gay and Maher, you have to go back to 1993 to find a game in which a kicker missed three extra points (Roger Ruzek did while playing for the Eagles), but no one else missed four.
The upside for the Cowboys is that Maher was the only player who really struggled during Dallas’ 31-14 win. The Cowboys destroyed the Buccaneers thanks in large part to a historically important game by Dak Prescott, who set a franchise record by scoring five touchdowns.
For a full breakdown of everything that happened in the game, be sure to check out our takeaway by clicking here.
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