The #2 San Francisco 49ers host the #5 Dallas Cowboys on Sunday within the NFC Divisional Spherical, with the winner advancing to the NFC championship. The Cowboys signed kicker Tristan Vizcaino as an insurance coverage coverage if their beginning kicker, Brett Maher, continues to kick poorly in apply this week.
Dallas Cowboys kicker Brett Maher watches one in all 4 missed further factors throughout a victory in opposition to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium within the NFC wild card. (Picture: Getty)
Maher missed 4 further factors in a considerably simple victory in opposition to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers within the NFC wild card on Monday night time. The Cowboys received 31-14, however Maher shanked 4 further factors within the first three quarters earlier than he related on his fifth kick within the fourth quarter.
I undoubtedly didn’t do my half,” Maher instructed reporters after the sport. “This group is just too good shifting ahead for me not to do this, so get again at it this week.”
Groups want a scorching kicker in the event that they count on to go deep into the NFL playoffs. There’s little or no room for error within the playoffs, so the very last thing a group wants is a shaky kicker whereas attempting to win the Tremendous Bowl.
The Cowboys are +4 underdogs in opposition to the 49ers on Sunday. The 49ers simply defeated the #7 Seattle Seahawks within the NFC wild card with a 41-23 victory.
The Cowboys are +800 odds to win Tremendous Bowl LVII, and +330 odds to win the NFC championship. The 49ers are +450 odds to win the Tremendous Bowl, and +175 odds to win the NFC convention title.
Maher Misses NFL-Document 4 XPs
Maher was dependable for the Cowboys this season. He missed solely six kicks within the common season, together with three area targets and three further factors.
Nevertheless, Maher caught an unlucky case of the “yips” in opposition to the Bucs when he missed 4 further factors. The yips is a common psychological affliction that occurs to athletes in sports activities — together with golf, baseball, and basketball — once they lose confidence in themselves.
I don’t know what it’s,” said special teams coordinator John Fassel. “However I imagine within the yips and I imagine within the scorching hand. He had a scorching hand. After which the yips occur. So, I count on a scorching hand arising.”
“It occurs,” mentioned veteran large receiver T.Y. Hilton. “And for him, man, like after the second, I simply went as much as him and mentioned, ‘Chin up. Hey, we received you. We OK. We good.’ Simply proceed to simply let him get his confidence. All he must do is see one go in and he’s effective.”
Maher set a report as the one kicker in NFL historical past to overlook 4 further factors in a single recreation, together with the common season and playoffs. In keeping with the Elias Sports activities Bureau, that statistic spans 16,207 video games.
Regardless of 4 missed kicks, the Cowboys intend to start out Maher in opposition to the 49ers.
“We’re going to forge forward,” head coach Mike McCarthy instructed reporters on Tuesday. “As of proper now, that’s the plan.”
Journeyman Maher in Third Stint with Cowboys
Maher is a 33-year-old kicker who went undrafted out of Nebraska. He had temporary stints with the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys in 2013 earlier than he headed north of the border to hunt employment.
Maher kicked for a number of seasons within the Canadian Soccer League with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Ottawa Redbacks, and Hamilton Tiger-Cats earlier than he received one other shot on the NFL.
Maher had a second stint with the Cowboys and Jets earlier than he latched on to apply squads with the Cleveland Browns, Washington Soccer Group, Houston Texans, and Arizona Cardinals.
Maher was the Cowboys’ main kicker throughout the 2018 and 2019 seasons. He kicked for the New Orleans Saints in eight video games final season earlier than he returned to the Cowboys this season.
In 29 profession video games, Maher related on 81% of his area purpose makes an attempt, and 95.5% of his further Factors.
The Tristan Vizcaino Insurance coverage Coverage
The Cowboys mentioned they’ve confidence in Maher, but they signed one other kicker anyway. If the 4 missed further factors occurred within the common season, this could not be an enormous story. Nevertheless, the Cowboys are among the many closing eight groups nonetheless within the hunt for the Tremendous Bowl, so Maher’s missed kicks have develop into a hot-button difficulty.
It will be actually a giant setback to enter the remainder of this event, remainder of this playoff, with shakiness at kicker,” mentioned group proprietor Jerry Jones mentioned throughout a radio look on Dallas sports activities discuss radio.
The Cowboys shall be conserving a detailed eye on Maher in apply this week. If he’s nonetheless contaminated with the yips, then the Cowboys will go along with another choice.
On Wednesday, the Cowboys signed Tristan Vizcaino, who performed his school ball at Washington and who additionally went undrafted. He appeared in a single recreation with the San Francisco 49ers in 2020 and kicked in six video games with the Los Angeles Chargers final season. He was on the New England Patriots roster this season, however didn’t try any area targets or further factors.
Vizcaino related on 91.7% of his area targets however solely tried 12 throughout his brief profession. He tried 20 further factors, lacking 5 for a 75% success price.
