The Vikings have found plenty of new and creative ways to struggle on special teams this season.
One of the latest instances? The field goal unit against the Jaguars. Kicker Dan Bailey went 1-3 on extra points. He also missed a potential game-winning field goal in the fourth quarter.
However, Bailey would redeem himself by hitting the game-winning kick in overtime. But still, by most accounts, it was a day to forget for Bailey, who is normally a very good kicker.
He talked about the misses with reporters recently:
“Yeah, it was just a strange deal,” Bailey told reporters, via the Vikings’ Twitter account. “I was really inconsistent into the ball from a timing standpoint. I actually had a pretty good pregame, I thought. [I] went into it everything feeling good, feeling confident. … “I don’t know if I can really put a finger on it other than it just obviously wasn’t up to the standard. It was pretty out of character for me to got out there and do that.”
Bailey said he had a good week of practice. The Vikings got away with a victory over the Jaguars, but they might not have the same luck against a better Buccaneers team. In that case, Minnesota needs a bounce-back performance from Bailey.
“A little embarrassed by it, to be honest, but it’s just one of those things where you’ve got to move on and try to go knock the next ones through,” Bailey said.