Things couldn’t have been going any better for Washington Commanders kicker Austin Seibert. Seibert made 25 of his 27 field goal attempts in seven games with Washington and was perfect on all 22 extra-point attempts.
Then, before the Commanders’ Week 10 game against Pittsburgh, Seibert injured his right hip, which cost him the next two games. On Sunday, Seibert returned for Washington against the Dallas Cowboys.
It was a day to forget for Seibert. He missed both extra points and made one of his two field goal attempts, which proved costly. The second missed PAT came with 21 seconds remaining after wide receiver Terry McLaurin’s miraculous 86-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Jayden Daniels.
There was also Seibert’s kickoff to KaVontae Turpin, which, with three minutes remaining, was returned for a 99-yard touchdown.
It was a day to forget for Seibert.
After the game, Seibert met with the media and, like safety Jeremy Reaves, who missed a tackle on the Turpin touchdown, took full blame for the loss.
“I just want to play better for my teammates, you know, definitely don’t want to do that,” Seibert said. “Just wasn’t striking well, but it means a lot me to be here with these guys, so I just want to put my best foot….moving forward.”
That’s tough to watch.
When Seibert was asked about the low snap on the second missed PAT, he had none of it, taking full accountability.
“It didn’t make a difference at all. It’s on me,” he said.
After missing two games with a right hip, could the injury have affected him? Again, Seibert was not about to make excuses.
“I felt fine,” he said. “That’s why I made the decision to play, and here we are.”
First, Seibert should be credited for speaking to the media after the most challenging moment of his professional career. He didn’t run away from it. So often these days, athletes hide from the media after a bad day. Not Seibert. Like Reaves, he stood there and answered every question, regardless of how repetitive some seemed.
Lastly, Seibert didn’t lose this game, nor did Reaves or John Bates. It was a collective effort. There were so many plays you could point back to and see Washington’s mistakes.
Seibert needs to shake it off and not allow one bad day to impact him next week and beyond. The Commanders host the Tennessee Titans in Week 13.