Adam Vinatieri struggles in Colts’ season opener

Adam Vinatieri has been one of the best kickers in NFL history, but he looked anything but that during the Indianapolis Colts’ season-opening game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

The 46-year-old kicker missed three kicks during the game. He started off by missing an extra point in the second quarter that would have tied the game at 7. That kick started off straight and then faded towards the right.

Vinatieri had a chance to make it 17-9 going into halftime, but he missed wide to the left from 46 yards. The Colts were down 17-6 at halftime as a result.

Then in the fourth quarter, Vinatieri knuckled a 29-yard kick wide left. That could have made it 24-19.

In all, Vinatieri cost the Colts seven points. They had to go for two in an attempt to tie the game at 24 late in the fourth quarter due to the misses. Luckily they converted and eventually sent the game into overtime where they lost 30-24.

Vinatieri went 23/27 (85.2 percent) last season and made 44/47 extra point attempts. It’s hard to imagine he got old overnight after being dependable last season, but what you hope is that this doesn’t turn into a mental issue for the veteran.