Adam Vinatieri's Kicking Struggles Have Literally Stolen 3 Wins From Colts
By Chris Pyo
When all is said and done, Adam Vinatieri will be a first ballot Hall of Famer. However, this is a pretty dismal end to what's been such an illustrious career for the Indianapolis Colts kicker, and his missed extra point on Sunday through the entire game far out of whack.
Though Colts fans probably don't need to read the specifics written out in this fashion to get sick to their stomachs, this sequence makes the true impact of Vinatieri's recent struggles perfectly clear.
Colts and Adam Vinatieri:
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) November 11, 2019
Week 1: Misses two FG and XP in a 30-24 OT loss
Week 9: Misses XP, GWFG in 26-24 loss
Week 10: Misses XP, which later forces Colts to try to convert for TD at 16-12 instead of kicking what would have been a game-tying field goal at 16-13
Vinatieri's now 14-for-20 on extra points this season, which is an atrocious conversion rate, even in a year where more extra points have been missed than ever.
Instead of sitting at 5-4 with a loss to the dreadful Miami Dolphins under their pillow and a tight AFC South race afoot, the Colts could have been sitting comfortably at 8-1 without Vinatieri's miscues. Legitimately.
In Vinatieri's defense, not only is every NFL kicker far from perfect, but the man is 46 years old. 46! The fact that he can remain at least slightly competitive as an NFL kicker competing against guys decades younger than him speaks to his amazing athletic ability.
I don’t care what anyone says I’ll remember @adamvinatieri for everything but this season...dudes the goat and a better dude!
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) November 11, 2019
Unfortunately, Vinatieri's got to come to the realization that he's not doing the Colts any favors by trying his best to stick around the league. He's cost the Colts three games this season, and this has to be the end of the leash for him.