Near the end of the Cincinnati Bengals’ eventual loss to the Chicago Bears, the team opted to try to cut a seven-point deficit to just four with a field goal.
This decision came after a late intentional grounding penalty was called, which pushed the Bengals back. That caused head coach Zac Taylor to think for a moment, and he ended up rushing the kicking unit out late.
This whole sequence ended with Evan McPherson’s 54-yard kick coming up short. An unusual outcome for him, as he usually has been good about his power.
Well, special team’s coordinator Darrin Simmons had an answer for that:
One reason we have seen more and more kickers getting closer to breaking that kicking distance record is that they have actually been able to use their own footballs, similar to how quarterbacks get their own for each team.
Simmons went on to explain that this problem isn’t all that uncommon.
Just an unfortunate outcome for McPherson, who gets credited with the miss.
Also, the Bears scored a touchdown two plays later. Of course, Joe Flacco had his magical finish ruined by the defense failing to tackle the tight end for the Bears at the end of the game.
It is at least reassuring that we also don’t have to worry about McPherson on top of this horrid defense.