The Dallas Cowboys fell to the Arizona Cardinals by three points in Week 17. Late in the first quarter, kicker Greg Zuerlein missed a 43-yard field goal. While missing out on three points is just one of several factors contributing to Dallas’ loss, blown opportunities in the kicking game isn’t anything new for the club. Zuerlein has missed a career-high six PAT’s and tied a career-high of 12 total misses over his 15 games played.
He’s missed a field goal in three of the Cowboys’ five losses and all were decided by three or less points. This includes a pair of misses against Tampa Bay in the season opener, another game that had enormous seeding implications by the end of the regular season. Even in Saturday’s win Zuerlein missed an extra point, but despite his season-long woes, special teams coordinator John Fassel has his back. On Monday, Fassel doubled down on his support.
Prior the game, Fassel spoke of his continued confidence in Zuerlein’s ability to make the big kick and to figure out what’s causing the misses. When asked if he had wavered, he responded “If I’m wrong, then I’ll be wrong. But I really think I’m going to be right. I guess we’ll see,” per USA Today’s Jori Epstein.
“I love Greg, I believe in Greg and I’m not supporting him just because of my experience with him over the alt 10 years,” Cowboys ST John Fassel told us. “This is a production business. When we stop producing, things change. But I have full faith in Greg. I do.”
Cowboys ST coach John Fassel confident in K Greg Zuerlein despite 6 missed PATs, 6 missed FGs in regular season. Takes misses to heart but believes Greg is capable, reliable option.
"If I'm wrong, then I'll be wrong. But I really think I'm going to be right. I guess we'll see." pic.twitter.com/b202wnPNUa
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) January 10, 2022
After the backlash Fassel faced for special teams conundrums in 2020, the unit has been a bright spot for Dallas in 2021, but Zuerlein’s inconsistency has stuck out like a sore thumb.
If a missed field goal costs the Cowboys in the playoffs, Fassel seems willing to fall on his sword for Zuerlein.
Later in the press conference, which was a long one for Fassel, he made a comparison to golf legend Tiger Woods and opened up about Zuerlein’s shaky season. Fassel admitted his fear, but didn’t back down about his kicker.
Cowboys ST coach John Fassel when asked if it’s scary to be going into the playoffs and talking about their kicker still trying to find it: “If it was a rookie maybe but I think every kicker has kinda lost it before and they find it again. Tiger Woods a lot of times has lost it.”
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) January 10, 2022
Dallas had Lirim Hajrullahu on roster and could’ve called Kai Forbath back up after his perfect stint with the team in 2019, but it’s stayed stern and the result of their decision truly begins Sunday against the 49ers in the wild-card round and Fassel’s reputation may hang in the balance.
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