Week 10 produced some exciting action for fans watching at home. Ultimately, it was a great day for kickers around the league, as a number of them came through with clutch kicks to secure their teams a victory.
Five games on Sunday came down to the wire and could have gone either way on the final play of the game. The difference in those games was clutch kicking.
Arizona Cardinals kicker Matt Prater, Cleveland Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins, Detroit Lions kicker Riley Patterson, Houston Texans kicker Matt Ammendola and Seattle Seahawks kicker Jason Myers all made game-winning field goals as time expired to give their respective teams a victory in Week 10.
Each of them made that opportunity, which is a historic mark in NFL history.
The Cardinals are 2-8 on the season, but they're now 1-0 when Kyler Murray plays.
Matt Prater nails a walk-off field goal and Arizona takes down the Falcons!pic.twitter.com/hUSbspl6AR
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) November 13, 2023
Dustin Hopkins’ kick is good. @Browns win! pic.twitter.com/F3Y21hSgHO
— NFL (@NFL) November 12, 2023
The Lions walk off the Chargers in Los Angeles, 41-38!
Jim Nantz on the call for CBS. 🏈🎙️pic.twitter.com/c2QMEjCgU6
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 13, 2023
TEXANS WIN. #HOUvsCIN pic.twitter.com/Fukn0kQzZO
— NFL (@NFL) November 12, 2023
THE GAME WINNER! pic.twitter.com/xqVbuJeUDd
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) November 13, 2023
The five game-winning kicks marks the most in one singular week in NFL history.
Five teams – Arizona, Cleveland, Detroit, Houston and Seattle – converted a game-winning field goal with no time remaining in Week 10, the most game-winning scores with no time remaining in regulation in a single week in NFL history.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 13, 2023
Kickers obviously receive a huge part of the blame when things don’t go right because they have one job every single week. This week, many fans gave them their flowers.
Proud of the kickers today—often face more criticism than praise for the tough position they play. It's time they receive the respect they're due. An impressive showing from kickers across the league indeed.
— Max Murray (@MaxmanMurray) November 13, 2023
But you only hear about them when they miss
— Street Clothes 🧢 (@LeCap623) November 13, 2023
A good kicker really is a huge weapon for a team. I've never really thought about how much they get paid. I hope it's a reasonable amount.
— Richard – TCGView.com (@TCGView) November 13, 2023
Kickers pic.twitter.com/XhkokJ48Rv
— Hurts&Brown (@Leigonhoopz) November 13, 2023
Pay those legs
— Matt Payne (@PatMayne731) November 13, 2023
These five kickers in particular carried the load for the rest of the kickers around the league.
There was also some pretty bad kicking to speak of around the NFL in Week 10, perhaps highlighted by a brutal 35-yard miss from New England Patriots kicker Chad Ryland in their matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.
ROBERT KRAFT IS SEEING RED
Another red zone failure for Mac Jones and Bill Belichick as Patriots can't even convert short field goal this time. pic.twitter.com/CcmE3NlRSp
— Boston Dirt Dogs (@BostonDirtDogs) November 12, 2023
New England went on to lose this game to drop to 2-8 on the season. So it is safe to say that good kicking is certainly a big factor in the success of a team.
[Adam Schefter on Twitter. Photo Credit: Photo Credit: CBS]
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.