Younghoeโ Koo‘s Miss Puts him in Rare Company Among NFL Playoff Field Goal Failures
ORLANDO, FL โ- January 21, 2024 โฃ – Atlanta Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo โคjoined a dubious list โขof NFLโฃ players whose playoff โfield goal misses dramaticallyโค altered postseason outcomes after his late fourth-quarter attempt sailed wide left against the Los Angeles โขRams in a 36-28โ loss.โค The miss, coming with under two minutes remaining, would have tied theโฃ game and sent it to โคovertime, rather cementing the Rams’ comeback victory and โฃending Atlanta’s season. Koo’s failure instantly sparkedโ comparisons to some of the moast infamous kicks in NFL history,โ raising questions about pressure, technique, and the lasting impact of โฃa โsingle play.
The stakes are especially high for โขkickers in the playoffs, where a single missed field โgoal canโข erase weeks of effort and define a team’s season. Koo’s โฃmiss is not an isolated incident; several kickers โขhave faced similar heartbreak on theโ biggest stage,becoming cautionary โขtales of โtheโฃ mental and physical demands of the position.While Koo isโ generally โconsidered a reliable kicker throughoutโค his career, this miss places him alongside namesโฃ synonymous with playoff disappointment, prompting a re-evaluation of his legacy and the fragility of success in the NFL.
The Falcons were โgifted a secondโ chanceโค earlier in the game when Rams โkicker โLucas Havrila missed a 53-yard field goal, aโฃ kick that went wide left. โฃThe Falcons had new life, marched down the fieldโ and scored theโ game-tying touchdown. In overtime, โthe Falcons kickerโ – Morten andersen -โฃ booted theโฃ winner (a 38-yarder) and the Falcons were a stunning Super Bowl โentrant.
One โof the greatest Super Bowls ever playedโข ended on a missed โคfield goal. Scott Norwood’s miss is aโ tempting butterfly affect debate. What would have โhappened hadโ he made the kick? Rather,โข the Buffaloโ Bills went on to lose four consecutiveโค Super Bowls.โ In an epic clashโ with theโ New York Giants, the Bills moved into position โto win โthe game in the final seconds. Norwood’s 47-yard attemptโ sailed wide right and the Giants held on forโ a hard-fought 20-19 โwin.
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