The NFL ceases to amaze us with what can happen in just one week of the regular season. Even with bye weeks and fewer teams playing, we still got a slate filled to the brim with action. Who knows what is wrong with kickers, Anthony Richardson beats the Jets after being benched, and the Seattle Seahawks add another twist to the NFC West division race. 

Unfortunately, there was no Week 10 edition because this author had a long paper due last week. 

What is Wrong With NFL Kickers

Kicking in the NFL is a polarizing subject. Many fans believe that kicking is easy and kickers shouldn’t miss. Then you hear from Pat McAfee tweeting “Another reminder … #KickingIsHard.” This came to the forefront when several high-paid kickers underperformed last week.

First on Thursday was Philadelphia Eagles kicker Jake Elliott. He had a poor game– just 2-of-4 on field goals– and his longest field goal was only 31 yards. He also missed an extra point as well. This is surprising because Elliott has a career 85% make rate with his field goals and has had an 87% rate or higher in his last three seasons. Very surprising for the second-highest-paid kicker in the NFL. 

Then we had Dustin Hopkins. The Cleveland Browns kicker isn’t the highest paid (he is ninth though) or the best kicker in the league but is a player with a pretty lengthy career. He did not make one field goal on Sunday, going 0-for-2, and did not even attempt an extra point in the Browns’ 35-14 loss to the New Orleans Saints. 

Every football fan knows something about Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker: the NFL record holder for longest field goal, one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history, and a likelyProFootball Hall of Famer. He went 1-for-3 on Sunday as the Ravens fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers by just two points. The “gold standard” of kicking in the NFL has had a poor season. A field goal rate of only 72% is abysmal for Tucker who boasts a nearly 90% clip for his entire career. Tucker is the third-highest-paid kicker in the NFL. 

And then there’s Evan McPherson, the Cincinnati Bengals kicker, who had a poor night to cap off the week. Against the Los Angeles Chargers, he made all of his extra point attempts but went just 2-of-4 on field goals, with his longest make checking in at 27 yards. McPherson, the sixth-highest paid kicker, is 39th in field goal rate at just 71%, right behind Tucker. Just an unfortunate showing from kickers who have all made a Pro Bowl.

Anthony Richardson Comes Back from the Bench

The Indianapolis Colts took on the hapless Jets Sunday afternoon and the most surprising thing about the game was not just that New York loss, it was the play of second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson. 

The 2023 first-round pick had shown flashes of his potential in his rookie season after being named the starter. But his season only lasted four games after he needed season-ending shoulder surgery. Going into this season expectations were high for Richardson. 

This season has been very disappointing, to say the least. What drew NFL teams to Richardson was his incredible arm, as well as his considerable size and speed. What held teams back was his inaccuracy and the fact he was so raw as a prospect after only starting 13 games in his college career at Florida. This season he has struggled with his accuracy, completing only 48% of his passes and tossing seven interceptions. The Colts had enough after the Week 8 loss to the Houston Texans, sending Richardson to the bench. 

Joe Flacco, the Colts backup, started the next two games but threw three interceptions in the Week 10 loss to the Buffalo Bills, which led to him returning to the bench. Richardson quieted his doubters last week as he threw for a season-high 272 passing yards, completing a season-best 67% of his passes. To boot, he had three total touchdowns and didn’t throw an interception. The Colts hope that the Richardson they saw in Week 11 is the Richardson they will be getting for the rest of the season. 

Seattle Steals Division Game in Santa Clara

According to ESPN’s Gamecast predictor, the San Francisco 49ers had a 90% chance to beat the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium, home of the 49ers. This was just after the Seahawks failed to convert on a 4th-and-1 from San Fran’s 37-yard line. The game should have been over then, considering there were just four minutes left in the game. But somehow Seattle found a way. To the 49ers’ credit, they did win the time of possession battle, had more sacks, and out-rushed the Seahawks but it was not enough to stave off their divisional foe. 

What worked for Seattle was having DK Metcalf back from his injury hiatus and the Seahawks’ secondary coming together to hold the 49ers’ passing game in check, as Brock Purdy finished with just 146 yards passing with two sacks and an interception. This was how Mike McDonald’s unit was performing in those first three weeks of the season. 

The offense was good enough, as the passing game opened up for Seattle with the return of wide receiver DK Metcalf, who hadn’t played since the last win for Seattle on Oct. 20 against the Atlanta Falcons. In his return, Metcalf totaled seven catches for 70 yards and was given the most attention from the San Fran defense. 

Arguably Metcalf’s biggest contribution was attracting so much attention that allowed fellow Seattle receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba to explode with 10 catches and 110 yards. All of this would have been for nothing if Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith hadn’t led the team to a fourth-quarter comeback, winning the game with a 13-yard rushing touchdown to potentially save the Seahawks season. Seattle plays another division rival Arizona Cardinals in Week 12 as it looks to build off this win. 

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