Getty Images Cade York of the Cleveland Browns.
Despite picking up the win, Cleveland Browns kicker Cade York didn’t have a good day at the office against the Baltimore Ravens.
The rookie kicker went 1-of-3 on his field goal attempts in the matchup, shanking one bad in a game where points were valued. Luckily, the Browns’ defense was game for the task, holding Baltimore out of the end zone in the 13-3 win.
But the larger conversation is about York, who was drafted by the Browns in the fourth round and is now 22-of-30 on his field goals for the year.
“We will look at it. Those are tough conditions,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “We certainly get that. He is hard on himself. He wants to make them. We are counting on him. We will come back to him again.”
York did not have much of an explanation for what happened on the kicks.
“I guess it doesn’t really matter if there is an explanation for you all because it didn’t go in. I have not seen the film yet. Obviously, it was a really bad hit so that is all I got there.”
Ravens Kicker Justin Tucker Also Struggled
Stefanski expanded upon that thought on Monday when asked about his kicker’s struggles.
“I do think there is an element to that for sure. Our stadium being on the lake, you are going to deal with the elements and you are going to deal with the cold,” Stefanski said. “You are going to deal with the cold this week as you look at the forecast. Certainly, the wind picks up. I don’t think the wind was real big factor yesterday. That is part of the elements that really both teams have to deal with. I think there is not an advantage or disadvantage in that since both teams have to deal with that.”
What might work to York’s advantage when it comes to Sunday’s misses is that Ravens’ All-Pro Justin Tucker also missed a pair of kicks, which is unheard of.
“He hit the ball left on one that the wind blew right. He got one blocked that he hit pretty low,” York said. “Again, I do not think any of our missed kicks had anything to do with weather. I just think they were bad hits.”
York Still Has Massive Confidence in Leg
Despite some struggles, York still has massive confidence in his ability to boot the ball. York pleaded with the coaching staff during a Week 14 loss to attempt a 67-yard field goal before half, which would have been an NFL record. York went on a bit of a sideline tirade after the team chose to instead throw a hail mary.
“I didn’t see that, but it is good that your kicker has confidence and it is good that they don’t lack confidence,” Stefanski said. “It is like anything else, they want the ball in a big moment, just like a point guard wants the ball or a receiver wants the ball. That is the mentality of guys who want to help the team. We will continue to make decisions that are best for the team. If it calls for it, I think Cade will be ready to go.”
There’s little chance the Browns decide to part ways with York, considering the draft pick they used on him. But the pressure will be on for York to improve his consistency going forward.