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:
i can’t breathe dawg
LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO https://t.co/JJ9ba9zL31 pic.twitter.com/w31aa78jBT
— Coach Rome (@Rome_Beast) December 25, 2023
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:
Chad Ryland from 56 yards!
📺: #NEvsDEN on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/uY6Dg380OO pic.twitter.com/EXqQQlg7HV— NFL (@NFL) December 25, 2023