God clearly hates Vikings kickers

[JohnTurney]

ouch . . . Gary Anderson and now this.

[JohnH19]

I also don't think the Big Guy looks too kindly upon Vikings fans...sigh...

[Jay Z]

With those two games and the Hail Mary game, I wondered what would be the miracle game in the positive sense for the Vikings. Did they have any game winning kicks?

The 1969 Western Conference Playoff against the Rams was a comeback, but no kickers were involved. They did have one game winning field goal. In 1997, Eddie Murray kicked a 22 yard field goal to beat the Giants 23-22 in New York. The Jim Fassel and Danny Kanell led Giants blew a 16-0 lead. After Randall Cunningham hit Jake Reed with a 30 yard TD pass with 1:38 left, the Vikings recovered an onside kick and drove for the winning FG. I confess to remembering nothing of that game.

[7DnBrnc53]

With those two games and the Hail Mary game, I wondered what would be the miracle game in the positive sense for the Vikings. Did they have any game winning kicks?

The 1969 Western Conference Playoff against the Rams was a comeback, but no kickers were involved. They did have one game winning field goal. In 1997, Eddie Murray kicked a 22 yard field goal to beat the Giants 23-22 in New York. The Jim Fassel and Danny Kanell led Giants blew a 16-0 lead. After Randall Cunningham hit Jake Reed with a 30 yard TD pass with 1:38 left, the Vikings recovered an onside kick and drove for the winning FG. I confess to remembering nothing of that game.

I heard that the Viking comeback that day may have saved Dennis Green's job, which is possible because he hadn't won a playoff game up to that point.

[JohnTurney]

With those two games and the Hail Mary game, I wondered what would be the miracle game in the positive sense for the Vikings. Did they have any game winning kicks?

The 1969 Western Conference Playoff against the Rams was a comeback, but no kickers were involved. They did have one game winning field goal. In 1997, Eddie Murray kicked a 22 yard field goal to beat the Giants 23-22 in New York. The Jim Fassel and Danny Kanell led Giants blew a 16-0 lead. After Randall Cunningham hit Jake Reed with a 30 yard TD pass with 1:38 left, the Vikings recovered an onside kick and drove for the winning FG. I confess to remembering nothing of that game.

Amazingly, though in the 1970s the Vikings special teams made life miserable for opposing kickers and punters. Thye blocked tons of kicks, would have to check but I'd bet money they led that decade and maybe into the early 1990s with Matt Blair still around.

[John Grasso]

Wasn't Fred Cox one of the first Vikings' kickers? Hasn't he done pretty well in life?

http://www.vikings.com/news/article-1/W ... f12634e915

[Bryan]

When these things happen, do they justify Sam Rutigliano's decision in the 1980 Browns-Raiders game?

Its hard to think of shorter missed FG attempts at the end of games. Rolf Bernischke missed something like a 27-yarder in OT in the Dolphins playoff game, but the Chargers still ended up winning. I vaguely remember Ian Howfield missing a 19-yard FG for the Oilers against the Redskins in a big early-90's regular season game.

[BD Sullivan]

When these things happen, do they justify Sam Rutigliano's decision in the 1980 Browns-Raiders game?

Its hard to think of shorter missed FG attempts at the end of games. Rolf Bernischke missed something like a 27-yarder in OT in the Dolphins playoff game, but the Chargers still ended up winning. I vaguely remember Ian Howfield missing a 19-yard FG for the Oilers against the Redskins in a big early-90's regular season game.

In Rutigliano's case, he had a kicker who had already missed an XP and a FG, primarily due to a bad back, plus the MVP at quarterback. Walsh had made a 43 and 47 yard FG and was 10-for-10 inside 30 yards and 31-of-32 for his career from that distance prior to the kick. That was the only choice Zimmer should have made.

[Reaser]

with Matt Blair still around.

Blair got a reference on the local radio call yesterday when Steve Raible accidentally said he missed the kick before correcting himself to say Blair Walsh.

I'm giving Raible a pass on it since he was excited for obvious reasons plus Blair played during his own career.

[Evan]

In 1978, Rick Danmeier missed a 21-yard FG in overtime that could have won the game against the Packers, they wound up in a 10-10 tie. Marcol missed a longer FG in OT in that game too.

Cox missed an extra point and a FG in Super Bowl IX, although kicking conditions were tough that day.

There have been some Viking kicking highlights too:
Rick Karlis at one time tied for the NFL record with 7 FGs in one game in the 23-21 win over the Rams in 1989, with the winning points scored on a safety in OT, although replays showed the Vikings should have gotten a TD for a kick recovered in the end zone before it went out of bounds. I wonder if that would have been reviewed today, since in either case the game would have been over (safety or TD). This is the game with the ultimate Jerry Burns f-bomb post-game rant (on YouTube) because the fans booed Bob Schnelker.

I think Cox at one time held an NFL record for consecutive games with a FG (31 if I remember correctly) and consecutive games scoring at least one point (over 150 games in a row I believe). He also had a comically bad game against the Dolphins in 1976, missing two extra points and a field goal, which the announcers had a lot of fun with since it was his birthday.

Stenerud made the Pro Bowl in 1984 with the worst Viking team ever.