Tag: brandon aubrey

Brandon Aubrey passes greatest test of the season in Cowboys Week 18 win

From @ReidDHanson: Brandon Aubrey might have had his worst game as an NFL kicker, but he fought back and passed his biggest test yet for the Cowboys.

Brandon Aubrey had the perfect season nearly locked up. Through 16 games he was a flawless 35-for-35 on field goals. The rookie was nine-for-nine from 50+ yards. He was perfect in routine and clutch situations alike. He even set the record in touchbacks in a single season.

All he needed was to keep doing what he was doing in Week 18, and his season would go down as arguably the greatest ever. Then he went 0-2. After a blocked kick and a 36-yard miss basically kneecapped his perfect year, Aurbey’s dream season turned into a nightmare scenario.

Just one year ago, Brett Maher was also arguably the best kicker in the NFL. He was a league leader in FG%, a touchback king, and had more clutch moments than a 1982 Datsun with a 5-speed transmission (but in a good way). Until he wasn’t.

In 2022’s Week 18 against Washington, Maher took his first true misstep of the season by missing a routine extra point. With no other field goal attempts or extra points on the day, it’s how he concluded the regular season. In case the memories that followed that moment have been subconsciously repressed, allow me to recap: Maher went on to miss five of the next six extra point attempts in the postseason.

With no physical aliment to point to, it was clear the “yips” had officially set in for the Cowboys kicker. Maher never regained the trust of his ballclub and his career with the Cowboys effectively came to an end after that.

As crazy as it sounds, being an NFL kicker is less about physical ability and more about mental fortitude. Standing on the sideline for 97.2% of a game has a way of getting into an athlete’s head. There’s no amount of sideline net kicking or weekly mojo moments that can make up for it. There are quite literally thousands of soccer players physically capable of handling kicker duties, but until they feel the pressure of the moment and have to bounce back after a miss, no one knows how capable they really are in the NFL.

It’s a situation the Cowboys and Aubrey almost entered the postseason completely untested in. Until Week 18 against the Commanders, of course.

While Aubrey would have probably preferred to end the season with perfection, the Cowboys are probably happy he slipped. Because before the game ended, Aubrey drilled a 50-yarder, burying his previous failures and putting the thought of the “yips” behind him.

Aubrey showed he’s capable of bouncing back. It’s something Maher never could and a sign Aubrey’s for real. While everyone will likely still be holding their breath on his first postseason kick, the Week 18 miss(es) is possibly the best thing that could have happened to Aubrey. He showed resiliency and fortitude. Everyone already knew he was elite physically. By bouncing back, he showed he’s also elite mentally.

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Notre Dame in NFL: Dallas Cowboys win NFC East

Cowboys are rolling – how far will they go this post season?

The Dallas Cowboys rolled the Washington Commanders 38-10 on Sunday and in doing so were crowned champions of the NFC East for the 2023 season.

A pair of former Notre Dame players starred for the Cowboys this season and will represent Dallas at the Pro Bowl later this year.

Brandon Aubrey, a former Notre Dame soccer player was perfect in field goal tries for Dallas this season, going 35-of-35 including a perfect 9-for-9 mark from beyond 50-yards before missing two of his field goal attempts in Sunday’s victory.

On the offensive line Zack Martin showed he was worth every penny of his massive contract from earlier this year in helped protect Dak Prescott in what was perhaps the quarterback’s best year to date.

The Cowboys win secured the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs that begin next weekend.

WATCH: Commanders rookie DE Joshua Pryor blocks Cowboys’ field goal

Rookie Joshua Pryor taking advantage of his opportunities.

The Dallas Cowboys need a win over the Washington Commanders in Sunday’s regular-season finale to clinch the NFC East title and the No. 2 overall seed.

The Commanders need to lose in order to secure the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

Don’t tell the players on the field for Washington that it needs to lose.

After quarterback Sam Howell missed a wide-open Terry McLaurin for what would’ve been a touchdown, the Cowboys took possession of the football after Washington couldn’t convert on fourth down. Dallas drove the field for an easy touchdown to take a 7-0 lead.

On the first play of the next series, Commanders running Brian Robinson Jr. fumbled at the Washington 31-yard line. The Commanders defense holds, forcing a field goal attempt.

Dallas kicker Brandon Aubrey hadn’t missed a kick all season. However, Washington rookie defensive end Joshua Pryor busts through the line to block Aubrey’s field goal. Defensive back Jace Whittaker, signed from the practice squad on Saturday, picked up the ball and returned it 66 yards.

Here’s the play.

Washington would score its first point when Howell found Robinson on a short touchdown pass to tie the game.

Notre Dame Football: 6 Former Irish Earn Pro Bowl Selections

Notre Dame has put plenty of talent into the NFL but these six players shined the brightest in 2023.

The 2023 NFL regular season comes to an end this weekend, and, as is tradition, the annual Pro Bowl selections were announced the Wednesday night before the final set of games.

Although the Pro Bowl game no longer actually exists players are still named and will participate in a new weeklong skills competition and flag football contest against one another.

As you would probably expect, Notre Dame is well represented with Pro Bowl selections. Six former Notre Dame student athletes were selected for the Pro Bowl, five of which played football at Notre Dame and one who starred in soccer.

Here are the six former Golden Domers headed to the Pro Bowl this season:

Dak Prescott among 7 Cowboys named to 2024 Pro Bowl

The Pro Bowl votes have been tabulated and seven members of the Dallas Cowboys have been honored as among the best at their positions. Through a process that allegedly has equal parts fan voting, player and coaching input, the NFL has announced the …

The Pro Bowl votes have been tabulated and seven members of the Dallas Cowboys have been honored as among the best at their positions. Through a process that allegedly has equal parts fan voting, player and coaching input, the NFL has announced the first wave of their all-stars for the 2023 season.

Led by quarterback Dak Prescott, all three phases of the team will be well represented at this year’s festivities in Orlando, FL. The Pro Bowl is no longer an actual game, but rather a series of events meant to celebrate the best of the best. Here’s who has been named to the initial team.

Cowboys News: Another player of the week, a big opportunity, and a trip to Brazil?

The Cowboys can clinch a playoff spot while their defense can earn a triple crown. The latest news and notes, from @ArmyCheifW3

To the victor goes the spoils as another league award has been earned b a Dallas player. Although this is not as big as Andrew Jackson’s election win in 1828, the Cowboys have been piling up the hardware en route to what has been a fantastic season. Before people start making postseason arrangements, a few things have to fall in the Cowboys favor to clinch a spot in the postseason.

Part of the reason the Cowboys have been so successful this season is that they own a very good turnover ratio. In fact, it is so good that a crown awaits if they can keep up the pace. Speaking of crowns, the NFL is looking to further its reach and of course Dallas is part of the conversation.

Lastly, the injury to defensive lineman Johnathan Hankins isn’t as significant as originally believed yet he may still miss some time. That should open up opportunities for a couple of guys who have yet to make their mark in this league. That and much more in this version of Cowboys news and notes.

 

Cowboys’ Brandon Aubrey wins NFC Special Teams Player of the Week again

From @ToddBrock24f7: Aubrey connected on 4 field goals of 45+ yards Sunday night and became the first player ever to kick two of 59 yards or more in one game.

Brandon Aubrey has done it again.

Actually, he’s done it 30 times in a row now. But for the four long-distance field goals he put through the uprights in Sunday in the Cowboys’ impressive 33-13 win over Philadelphia, the rookie kicker has been named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time this season.

Week 14 saw Aubrey become the first player in league history to boot two field goals of 59 yards or beyond in the same game with a 60-yarder in the first quarter and a 59-yarder in the third. He followed those bombs with two relatively shorter ones- from only 45 and 50- in addition to three PATs on the night.

Aubrey has now made all 30 of his field goal tries this season, extending the record he himself set in Week 8 for most consecutive field goals to start an NFL career. He won the NFC’s weekly award for that performance as well.

The 28-year-old former soccer star is proving himself to be not only exceptionally accurate but also extraordinary from long distances; he now already eight field goals of 50 or more yards in just 13 games as a pro.

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After Sunday’s win, in which he buried even his 60-yard field goal into the net with more than enough leg, he was asked if he could connect from, say, 70 yards.

“I can, absolutely,” he said.

At this point in Aubrey’s unlikely but award-winning season, that unthinkable number doesn’t seem the least bit outrageous.

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Studs and Duds: All 3 phases set to stun in Cowboys’ 20-point win over Eagles

All 3 phases had standout studs for the Cowboys in their win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 14. | From @BenGrimaldi

The Dallas Cowboys have been waiting five weeks to get another shot at the Philadelphia Eagles, and they didn’t come up short this time around. In their 15th straight win at home, and seventh in a row to start this year, the Cowboys evened the score with the Eagles with the 33-13 win in Week 14.

It was another dominating performance at AT&T Stadium and the fifth win in a row for the Cowboys. In their seven wins at home this season, six of them have been by at least 20 points. Dallas dominated in all three phases to beat the Eagles and take over first place in the NFC East.

The Cowboys embarrassed a rival on the big stage and beat the team with the best record in the league heading into the week. Regular season wins don’t get much better. Here are the studs and duds for the Cowboys in the Week 14 blowout win.

Brandon Aubrey’s assault on NFL kicking hierarchy takes center stage in Week 14

Brandon Aubrey continues his fantastic rookie campaign with his best game of the season. | From @TimLettiero

If Dallas wanted to keep their hopes for an NFC East championship alive they needed a win against the first-place Philadelphia Eagles. They delivered.

Unlike last week, Dallas didn’t allow the opponent endless paths to the end zone. In fact, they kept the opposing offense out of it entirely. The Cowboys  offense wasn’t firing like they have in past week, but luckily they have the hottest kicker in the league. Rookie Brandon Aubrey showed his season-long consistency as he outscored the opponent all by himself in the Cowboys’ 33-13 win.

Already up 7-0 with under a minute remaining in the first, Aubrey nailed a career long 60-yard kick with absolute ease.

Midway through the third, Aubrey makes a nearly identical kick to put Dallas up 14.

He’d go on to make two more of 45  and 50 yards, respectively, while going 3-3 on extra points to secure the Cowboys victory. His streak of perfection is still on as Dallas looks to face the elements of Buffalo next week.

Placekicker Brandon Aubrey faces his biggest test yet with Cowboys

A missed extra point essentially ruined the career of a past Cowboys kicker, so how Brandon Aubrey responds to his Week 11 miss is critical. | From @ReidDHanson

Brandon Aubrey has been nothing short of brilliant this season for the Cowboys. The 28-year-old rookie has gone a perfect 21-for-21 this season on field goals, including four from 50+. In Sunday’s 33-10 win over the Panthers, Aubrey set an NFL record for most consecutively made field goals to start an NFL career.

For as impressive as all of that is, it wasn’t the record-breaking kick or the perfect 2023 field goal percentage he’s carrying this season that means the most going into Week 12. It was his missed extra point – or rather, how he responds to the missed extra point.

On the heels of his record setting accomplishment, Aubrey hooked an extra point attempt left. It was his first deviation from flawless in ten weeks and a public test of resiliency and fortitude going forward.

A missed extra point attempt essentially doomed the Cowboys previous placekicker less than a year ago. It was in 2022 when Dallas’ kicker at the time, Brett Maher, was on a similar upward trajectory with the Cowboys.

Like Aubrey, Maher had more doubters than supporters early in the year. Like Aubrey, Maher slowly strung together good kick after good kick and became one of the most accurate kickers of the season. Like Aubrey, he was also one of the most powerful in the sport, residing at the top of the leader board in touchbacks and routinely splitting the uprights from 50+ yards deep. And like Aubrey, a routine missed extra point threatened to ruin it all.

Maher’s missed extra point in Week 18 was easy to laugh off at the time. He had a track record of success by that stage and the miss looked to be nothing more than a hiccup. But that hiccup planted a seed in Maher’s mind and the Cowboys star placekicker went on to miss five of the next six attempts.

It seemed overcoming failure was their kicker’s the biggest obstacle. He was physically capable of being the best in the game but mentally he couldn’t come to grips with the slightest mistake. This highlights arguably the most critical trait of an NFL placekicker: mental resiliency.

Following the missed extra point, Aubrey went on to make a field goal, ending the day on a positive and keeping his field goal steak alive. But Maher’s issue with the extra point “yips” also resided somewhat independently from his field goals.

While Maher only made 14 percent of his extra points to close out the campaign, he went a clean 2-for-2 on field goals through the postseason. For whatever reason, his field goal success didn’t help his confidence in extra points.

This becomes Aubrey’s biggest hurdle going into Week 12.

Aubrey has to simply show the one miss didn’t plant a seed of self-doubt in his head like it did Maher. Luckily for him, it’s a short week. The Cowboys play on Thursday so there’s no time for quiet reflection and midweek ponderings on the matter.

With soccer being the most popular sport on the planet, there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people physically capable of being an NFL kicker. But only a handful of them who have the mental capabilities. It’s what sunk Maher in 2022 and it’s what threatens to rerail Aubrey in 2023.

This is all probably making a big deal over nothing, but then again, that’s what last year felt like too. It’s a big week for Aubrey and if he bounces back like many think he will, he’ll be truly battle-tested.

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