Dan Bailey joins long, sad Vikings history with kickers
Dan Bailey joined Vikings history for the wrong reasons in the loss to Tampa Bay.
When people look at Tampa Bay’s victory over the Minnesota Vikings, they will be quick to point out the flaws and the misses of kicker Dan Bailey. They, of course, have reason to file those grievances. Three missed field goals and a missed extra point doomed the Twin Cities in a 26-14 loss that dropped them out of the postseason field and let Arizona into the mix.
It’s fair to say that Bailey now joins a list of kickers known for painful performances and moments in Minnesota. Vikings fans will remember Daniel Carlson’s blunders against the Packers that resulted in a tie and his eventual release. Carlson is now working wonders for Las Vegas. Blair Walsh also left a number of scars in Minnesota.
The most painful, however, was in the previous millennium in 1998 when Gary Anderson‘s missed kick spelled an eventual defeat for the 15-1 Vikings against the upstart Atlanta Falcons who went on to lose Super Bowl XXXIII to the Denver Broncos.
Dan Bailey’s future with the Minnesota Vikings is likely in jeopardy.
Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer did not mince words in the press conference following the loss when it came to Bailey’s performance. However, it is hard to forget that Bailey is among the more accurate kickers in league history. That doesn’t matter to the hard-nosed approach of Zimmer who has a ring to his name as an assistant with the Dallas Cowboys under Barry Switzer.
Furthermore, teams in the NFL have no patience with players consistently missing their kicks. Bailey may stay on the roster but his room for error would be razor-thin as the Vikings are in a precarious state after falling out of the playoff hunt and the division rival Bears surprisingly right behind them.
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The Vikings already had an issue with losing on Sunday and now the kicker issue is back on the plate. What happens now remains to be seen, but it would not be a surprise if the coaches decide to make a change.