From Joey Slye to Dominik Eberle to Ryan Santoso, the Carolina Panthers were spinning the “Wheel O’ Kickers” to start the 2021 campaign. Now, it seems the wheel has finally stopped on one they like.
That one is Zane Gonzalez, who was named the NFC special teams player of the week for his Week 8 performance against the Atlanta Falcons. The fifth-year leg converted on each of his five kicks in the win on Sunday, accounting for 13 of Carolina’s 19 points on four field goals and one extra point.
Gonzalez’s field goals on the day came from distances of 29, 51, 57 and 23 yards. The 57-yarder, which pulled the Panthers within one as time expired in the first half, was new a career-long for the 26-year-old. (His previous best was a 56-yard attempt he kicked through as a member of the Arizona Cardinals in 2020.)
Through seven games, Gonzalez has booted through 13 of his 15 field goal tries to go along with a near-perfect 13-of-14 mark on extra points.
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