Poor Blair Walsh. The Vikings’ kicker made the most field goals in the NFL this season, then added three more crucial three-pointers in Sunday’s playoff game against the Seahawks, accounting for all of Minnesota’s points. But it was his miss, from just 27 yards out with under 30 seconds left in what would turn out to be a 10-9 loss, that will be remembered.
And make no mistake, it will be remembered for years, if not decades, to come as one of the worst missed field goals in NFL playoff history. But right now, was it the worst?
Well, probably not, given that it came in a first-round game. In fact, most Vikings fans, once they regain their composure, would probably say that it wasn’t even the worst in the team’s star-crossed postseason history.
That dubious honor likely goes to Gary Anderson, who missed a 38-yarder — indoors, at the team’s old home in the Metrodome, after having been perfect all season — that would have given Minnesota a 10-point lead late in the 1999 NFC championship game. Instead, the Atlanta Falcons scored a game-tying touchdown, then shocked the heavily favored Vikings in overtime and moved on to the Super Bowl.
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Of course, there’s missing a field goal in the first playoff round, there’s missing one in a conference title game, and then there’s missing one that would have won a Super Bowl. Yes, it’s time once again to invoke the name of Scott Norwood.
The Buffalo Bills kicker missed a 47-yarder with eight seconds left in Super Bowl XXV, allowing the Giants to escape with a 20-19 victory. That distance certainly made the attempt anything but a gimme, as opposed to Walsh’s chip-shot effort, but the highest of NFL stakes probably keeps Norwood atop this unfortunate list.
Here are some other NFL postseason field-goal attempts memorable for all the wrong reasons:
- Billy Cundiff’s 32-yard miss in the closing moments of the 2012 AFC championship, allowing the New England Patriots to beat the Baltimore Ravens, 23-20, and go to the Super Bowl.
- Indianapolis Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt, who entered a 2006 game against Pittsburgh as the NFL’s all-time leader in accuracy, missing a 46-yarder with seconds left that gave the Steelers a 21-18 win.
- The New York Jets’ Doug Brien missing two attempts, from 47 and 43 yards, in the final 2:03 of a conference semifinals game, giving the Steelers a 20-17 win.
- In a 2010 game against the Jets, Nate Kaeding of the San Diego Chargers missed all three of his attempts, including a 36-yarder and a 40-yarder with under five minutes left, in a 17-14 loss.
Garo Yepremian’s famous gaffe in Super Bowl VII also comes to mind, but it came after his attempt was blocked, and his Miami Dolphins were able to overcome it and defeat the Washington Redskins, 14-7. Meanwhile, Walsh’s wayward kick Sunday will be debated for its place in the annals of missed field goals, but it is notable for its short distance.
Kickers were 27-for-28 on 27-yard field goals this season. Only miss was blocked.
— Brad Gagnon (@Brad_Gagnon) January 10, 2016That was the first missed field goal this century inside 30 yards in a one-score game in the fourth-quarter of a playoff game.
— Brad Gagnon (@Brad_Gagnon) January 10, 2016ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7uK3SoaCnn6Sku7G70q1lnKedZLumw9JonJqqnK56rbHAnWawqF9nfXKCjmloaGlgZMSiv4yvoKShnpzAbrfInKKeqqNiuqq%2F0p6bZp6ZmrmlecaomKVlpJ2ybsPOq6qtZZmjeq%2Byy2anpZmppLOneceiqq2noq58