Getty Chicago Bears kicker Cody Parkey
The finish to the opening round of the 2019 NFL Playoffs provided plenty of drama with the Philadelphia Eagles vs. Chicago Bears late game on Sunday afternoon. When all was said and done, the game wrapped up with a missed field goal by Bears kicker Cody Parkey which hit both the upright and crossbar.
In case you missed the scene, here’s a look at how it played out and what led to the complete disbelief from Bears fans.
Cody Parkey’s would-be game-winning FG hits the crossbar twice sending the Eagles to the Divisional Round. #PHIvsCHI #NFLPlayoffs
After the game, many reactions poured in, but one that stood out came from Eagles kicker Jake Elliott, who had high praise for Parkey on how he handled himself and the situation.
Parkey says he thought he “hit a great ball” and that he feels terrible while putting the loss 100 percent on himself. It was a strong statement from the Bears kicker who answered the many questions that were tossed his way.
Among the reactions we saw from this scene, there’s no question that the kicker from the winning team chiming in certainly stands out. Elliott surely knows how it feels to miss important kicks, but as you can see from his comments, this one may not actually fall on Parkey.
Closer Look at Cody Parkey’s Kick
After Parkey had taken total ownership for the missed kick, without even mentioning the fact many were overlooking, that’s when the truth came to light. In a slow-motion video posted of the kick, you can see Eagles defensive lineman Treyvon Hester tipping the field goal attempt at the line.
Watch this video in slow-mo…Treyvon Hester comes up with a huge block off the tip of the fingers forcing the change of trajectory in the kick…wow. #CodyParkey #FLyEaglesFly
This makes Parkey’s comments above and the way he handled the postgame situation even more eye-opening. There’s a very good chance the 26-year-old knew the ball was tipped at the line but opted against making excuses for the kick not going through the uprights.
Cody Parkey’s 2018 Season an Outlier to His Career
When taking a deeper dive into Parkey’s NFL career, there’s a decent amount that stands out from not only this game but his career as a whole. The undrafted kicker out of Auburn who entered the league in 2014 was able to win the Eagles’ starting job during his rookie season and set a new NFL rookie scoring record that year. He made 88.9 percent of his kicks (32-36) and all extra points in his first season.
Even beyond that, Parkey has been consistent over the years. He was eventually waived by the Eagles after going on injured reserve in 2015 but found work fairly quickly. Parkey joined the Cleveland Browns and made 20-25 attempts (80 percent) in 2017, and the following year made 21-23 (91.3 percent) with the Miami Dolphins.
And although Parkey has bounced around throughout his NFL career, the fact he missed seven kicks during the regular season, going 23-30, was surprising. Parkey also had missed just one extra point prior to this year but was off the mark on three in 2018 with the Bears.
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