Tag: chad ryland

Patriots’ 7 most disappointing players in 2023

Here are the Patriots’ seven most disappointing players in 2023.

There is enough blame to go around for the New England Patriots’ failures in 2023. So it wouldn’t be fair to point the finger at one or two people for the team’s worst season in the Bill Belichick era.

With that said, there were multiple players that failed to live up to expectations in a year when the team desperately needed a turnaround to rid themselves of the stench from the 2022 season.

Unfortunately, things didn’t get better for the Patriots. They got much worse, despite clear efforts to turn things around.

The team sunk to 4-13 on the year and finished dead last in the AFC East division. Belichick’s 24-year run as head coach came to an end, and the team is now on the journey to rebuild with a new regime in place.

Here are the seven most disappointing players for the Patriots in 2023:

Patriots’ emotional post-game locker room video after upsetting Broncos

Matthew Slater’s uplifting comments to Chad Ryland and this epic post-game speech is stuff of legend.

There were plenty of emotions running from every corner of the visiting locker room at Empower Field, after the New England Patriots pulled off a stunning upset win on Christmas Eve over the Denver Broncos.

At Mile High, which has been a house of horrors for past Bill Belichick-coached teams, quarterback Bailey Zappe led the Patriots offense on a seven-play, game-winning drive which was bookended by a 56-yard field goal from shaky rookie kicker Chad Ryland.

It was the unlikeliest of wins from the unlikeliest of heroes.

Zappe was cut by the Patriots initially before the start of the season, and Ryland looked to be on the verge of losing his starting job. Both stepped up when the team really needed it. Defensive tackle Christian Barmore also had a big night with three sacks and four quarterback hits on Russell Wilson.

A look inside of the Patriots’ locker room after the game was posted on the team’s social media pages. Special teams captain Matthew Slater, who missed the game with an injury, gave an epic post-game speech on Christmas, while also uplifting Ryland.

With all of the talk going on outside of New England, the team has continued to fight hard and work together. Even with all of the uncertainty surrounding Belichick’s job status, the players haven’t stopped competing for him.

There clearly is no tanking with this group—never has been and never will be.

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The sound of Chad Ryland’s missed extra point was downright explosive to NFL fans watching on TV

Not quite a doink, but still just as jarring!

New England Patriots kicker Chad Ryland has had a rough go of it lately. And he picked arguably the worst time to do so early on Christmas Eve.

As New England shuffled its way to a 26-23 win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday night, Ryland had two important opportunities to pad the Patriots’ lead. He first missed a field goal, stacking the pressure. Then, after New England scored a touchdown, Ryland wasn’t even close on a chip shot extra point.

That’s an understatement because Ryland actually kicked the ball through the left post flag. And whatever mic was attached made the most ominous, almost explosive sound as the ball passed through:

Oh my goodness! I’m not sure I’ve ever heard wind and a football combine to make that kind of noise!

Fortunately for Ryland, he’d recover quite well. With time winding down in regulation, he nailed a 56-yard game-winning kick. It’s just that, you know, no one’s going to forget the sound that mic’d-up flag helped make:

WATCH: Patriots K Chad Ryland hits 56-yard game-winning field goal vs Broncos

Chad Ryland has ice in his veins.

New England Patriots rookie kicker Chad Ryland shocked the world on Sunday night, delivering a game-winning 56-yard field goal kick through the uprights to knock off the Denver Broncos.

This is the same Ryland that looked to be on the verge of losing his starting job before making the biggest kick of his NFL career.

Prior to the game-winning kick, the rookie had whiffed on a 47-yarder and an extra point earlier in the night. But he came roaring back with a vengeance and made the big kick when the Patriots needed it the most. It put the team ahead 26-23 and essentially iced the game against the Broncos.

Ryland still needs to work on his consistency, but his ability to come through in the clutch like he did on Sunday says a lot about his potential as a kicker. Perhaps he can ride the momentum from this game-winner and change the disappointing narrative surrounding his rookie season.

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Twitter reacts to Patriots’ Christmas Eve upset win over Broncos

Here’s what fans were saying on Twitter after the Patriots’ upset win over the Broncos.

The New England Patriots outlasted the Denver Broncos by a 26-23 score in a Christmas Eve showdown on Sunday.

At one point, the Patriots had a 23-7 lead, before the Broncos came roaring back. Nevertheless, New England was able to hold on in the end, courtesy of some late-game magic.

The victory came on a game-winning drive engineered by quarterback Bailey Zappe and the Patriots offense. Zappe went 25-of-33 on the night, throwing for 256 yards and two touchdowns. Demario Douglas was the team’s leading receiver in this contest, catching five passes for 74 yards.

However, it was the leg of Chad Ryland that won the night, after he gifted his teammates with a game-winning, 56-yard field goal as an early holiday gift.

There were plenty of reactions to this game on Twitter, and here are some of the best ones:

Instant analysis: Patriots stun Broncos in Christmas miracle

Chad Ryland kicks a game-winning 56-yard field goal to stun the Broncos on Christmas Eve.

After blowing a 16-point second-half lead, the New England Patriots got a last-second field goal from Chad Ryland to stun the Denver Broncos with a 26-23 victory on Christmas Eve at Empower Field.

The word unsung hero doesn’t even begin to do Ryland’s 56-yard field goal justice. He has been up and down all season, to the point where the team brought in extra kickers to work out and potentially threaten his starting job. Even on Sunday, he missed a field goal and an extra point.

Yet, when the game was on the line, Ryland stepped up and put the ball through the upright for the Patriots’ fourth win of the season.

Unlike the previous two games, the offense got off to a sluggish start in the first half before finally coming alive in the second half. They poured it on in the third quarter with three touchdowns, including passing touchdowns to Ezekiel Elliott and Mike Gesicki, along with a special teams touchdown by Cody Davis on a muffed kick return.

However, the real hero of the game, along with Ryland, was Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore, who had a monstrous game up front. He finished the game with seven tackles, three sacks and four quarterback hits.

It was the sort of game-changing performance that might weigh heavily when the Patriots come to the negotiating table for a potential contract extension with the former Alabama standout.

Beating the Broncos is without question a feel-good moment for the Patriots, but it hurts their standing in the 2024 NFL draft. With the victory, they have dropped to No. 4 in the pecking order, which could put them out of position to land one of the top three quarterbacks.

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Chad Ryland drills 56-yard field goal as Patriots spoil Broncos’ rally

Rookie Chad Ryland lifted the Patriots to victory over the Broncos

Chad Ryland had missed a field goal and a PAT attempt. Bill Belichick still sent out his kicker with 7 seconds left Sunday night at Mile High,

The rookie nailed a 56-yard field goal that went through the uprights with 2 seconds left to give the Patriots a 26-23 victory over the Broncos.

Bailey Zappe was pumped after the kick gave the Pats the lead.

The kick ruined a fourth-quarter comeback that saw Denver saw 16 straight points to overcome a 23-7 deficit.

Bill Belichick had priceless reaction to horribly missed Chad Ryland field goal

This reaction from Bill Belichick was priceless.

New England Patriots kicker Chad Ryland missed a field goal that would’ve cut the Denver Broncos’ lead on Sunday night, and Bill Belichick was not pleased.

The miss came from 47 yards out and abruptly ended a seven-play, 34-yard drive. The drive itself took 2:46 off the clock, but it did not lead to any points.

For Ryland, that was his eighth missed field goal of the year.  This was also his second game in a row with a missed kick. The rookie from Maryland has had well-documented struggles this season.

Belichick was not too pleased on the sidelines in a reaction that was very visible.

One has to wonder if Ryland will be able to break out of his slump at any time this season. In any event, it has not been an easy rookie campaign.

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Cam Achord bluntly sets expectations for kicker Chad Ryland

Cam Achord addressed Chad Ryland’s field goal kicking struggles on Tuesday.

New England Patriots special-teams coach Cam Achord addressed the struggles of rookie kicker Chad Ryland during a meeting with the media on Tuesday.

Ryland has had a difficult rookie campaign. He has converted only 13-of-20 field goals, but he has converted all 19 of his extra points. He missed a 41-yard field goal on Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs, which was his second miss in the last three games.

Adding to the scrutiny is the fact that he was selected in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL draft. He was the replacement for Nick Folk, who has missed only one field goal on the year with the Tennessee Titans.

Achord was blunt about his expectations for Ryland, as transcribed by ESPN’s Mike Reiss.

Ryland undoubtedly still has time and room to grow. However, the struggles have been a theme throughout the course of the season.

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Bill Belichick responds to question on K Chad Ryland’s job status

Is Chad Ryland still the starting kicker for the Patriots? Bill Belichick responded on Wednesday.

New England Patriots rookie kicker Chad Ryland could be on thin ice after whiffing on 35-yard field goals in back-to-back games. But a change at kicker doesn’t appear imminent, per Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

“He’s on our roster,” Belichick responded, when asked if he was sticking with Ryland.

Earlier in the week, when appearing on “The Greg Hill Show,” Belichick admitted Ryland hasn’t been good enough. The Patriots then had multiple kickers in for a workout on Tuesday, which signaled a potential change at the position.

If anything, the Patriots are likely hoping it lights a fire under their rookie fourth-round draft pick. They’ve invested a lot into Ryland this season, including moving on from a steady veteran kicker in Nick Folk. So far, that decision has looked like an absolute bust for the Patriots.

Of course, there’s still hope that Ryland can turn it around. He has a big leg and great distance on his kicks, but he isn’t kicking with the same confidence right now. Missing two chip shot field goals in critical moments of games likely isn’t going to help improve that confidence, either.

The fact remains that Ryland could be one major mistake away from watching the rest of the season from the sidelines.

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