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Comedian Adam Sandler’s 1997 album “What’s Your Name?” included one single that would capture the public’s imagination — “The Lonesome Kicker” — with lyrics that every Washington Commanders fan around the world could relate to following their heartbreaking, 34-26 Week 12 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
“People think it’s so easy to kick a field goal from the 30-yard line,” Sandler sang. “They forget to add seven yards for the snap and 10 more ‘cuz the goal posts are pushed way back.”
While Sandler’s song would eventually inspire one of his most iconic film roles as linebacker Bobby Boucher in “The Waterboy” in 1998, the lyrics should hit home with the Commanders in 2024 after kicker Austin Seibert shanked an extra point attempt that would’ve tied the Cowboys 27-27 and sent the game to overtime.
Instead, Seibert had one of the worst PAT misses you’ll see in an NFL game, negating what would have been one of the most incredible comebacks in Commanders history after they trailed 27-17 with less than 2 minutes to play.
The Commanders cut the score to 27-20 on a 51-yard field goal by Seibert with 1:49 left, then seemed ready to tie the game after an 86-yard touchdown pass from rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels to Terry McLaurin with 21 seconds left before Seibert’s miss.
The Commanders, now losers of 3 straight, dropped to 7-5 with the loss and can’t afford to take chances on whether Seibert might recover his confidence after he missed 2 PATs against the Cowboys.
Washington needs to cut Seibert and sign former New York Giants kicker Randy Bullock, who Spotrac identifies as the best free agent kicker currently available, or just promote kicker Zane Gonzalez from the practice squad.
Commanders’ Kicking Woes Began in Preseason
The Commanders thought they had the only kicker they would need in 2024 when they signed Brandon McManus to a 1-year, $3.6 million contract in March 2024.
The plan to have McManus be their kicker came off the rails just a few months later, when McManus was accused of sexual assaulting a pair of flight attendants while on a team flight with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2023. While the lawsuit was eventually dismissed and the NFL found no evidence of wrongdoing on McManus’ part, he was released almost immediately by the Commanders.
The Commanders signed Seibert on September 10 and he was 25-of-27 on field goals and 10-10 on PATs headed into the game against the Cowboys.
The other kicking option they have immediately available would be Gonzalez, who is 3-for-3 on field goals and 4-for-4 on PATs for the Commanders in 2 games in 2024.
Bullock, Gonzalez Both Seem Like Better Options
The Commanders are Seibert’s fifth team in 6 seasons and his struggles on PATs are nothing new — he went 30-of-35 on PATs as a rookie in 2019 with the Cleveland Browns.
Bullock, who is in his 12th season, has gone 80-for-83 on PATs over the last 3 seasons, including 38 consecutive makes over 2022 and 2023 with the Tennessee Titans and Giants.
Gonzalez is 131-of-138 on PATs for his entire career and also has the extra leg that Seibert appears to be missing. Seibert is 0-for-2 on field-goal attempts over 50 yards in 2024, while Gonzales is 11-of-18 past 50 yards for his career.
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