During the first quarter of Sunday’s AFC Championship Game, Stephen Gostkowski missed an extra point, something he rarely does. As it turned out, when New England scored a touchdown with twelve seconds left in regulation, they were forced to go for a two-point conversion (which was unsuccessful) to tie the game instead of attempting an extra point.
After the game, Gostkowski blamed himself for his team’s loss.
If there’s someone who can relate to Gostkowski, it’s Blair Walsh, who missed a field goal that would have given the Vikings a 12-10 lead over the Seahawks with less than a minute to go in regulation earlier in the playoffs. Walsh took to his Twitter account Sunday evening to back his counterpart as one of the best in the NFL and also give props to the Broncos on the victory.
Gostkowski is one of the best in the league. It's a TEAM game! Credit to Denver for the great win.
— Blair Walsh (@BlairWalsh3) January 25, 2016
Gostkowski is certainly among the better kickers in the league. However, the NFL moved back extra points because they had become too automatic. As a result, missed extra points were up significantly this season. It just so happens this one came on a big stage where the stakes were extremely high, like a trip to the Super Bowl.
