The Patriots were in a prime position to tie their Week 12 game and send it to overtime.
With seconds remaining, the Patriots were on the Giants’ 35-yard line and out trotted former fourth-round draft pick Chad Ryland to send the game to overtime. But, in true 2023 Patriots fashion, the rookie missed the field goal, and the Patriots fell to 2-9.
The Patriots couldn’t come up with many scoring opportunities offensively, but Bailey Zappe and the run game put an efficient drive together, yet the rookie kicker couldn’t secure the kick.
Facing the media in the locker room, Ryland didn’t point fingers and instead blamed himself for the botched kick.
“I missed that kick,” he said. “There’s no easy way around it. There’s no soft way around it. I missed the kick. I completely own that and take responsibility for that every day of the week. Protection was good. Snap was good. The hold was good. I’ve got to do a better job of making that kick.”
Missed kicks aren’t unusual at the NFL level, but many Patriots fans are frustrated since the team spent a fourth-round pick on a kicker when they had veteran Nick Folk on their roster. Ryland has struggled at times this season but has been efficient from within 34 yards (18-for-18).
What’s next for the kicker? Well, he’s ready to move on and turn the page and focus his attention on the Chargers.
“Just got to continue to work,” he said, “and work in the right direction.”
Before Ryland even lined up for the kick, Giants safety Xavier McKinney noticed the rookie seemed nervous and wasn’t ready for the big moment.
“I felt like (Ryland) was going to miss,” McKinney told reporters. “I think he was a little nervous. I was trying to talk to him before he actually kicked it. It was good to see him miss it. It was good to see us get a win.”
The Patriots had opportunities to win the game, and the outcome doesn’t all dwell on one player, but it does raise questions about Belichick spending a draft pick on a kicker.
On Monday morning, Bill Belichick commeted about Ryland’s kicking ability on his WEEI radio appearance. He noted Ryland missed a 35-yard kick against the Colts in Germany, and it’s simply not good enough.
“Chad is a very talented player, but this is two weeks in a row that we basically missed extra points. It’s not good enough.”
The Patriots will look to get in the win column at home against the Chargers on Sunday, December 6.
My name is Ben Belford-Peltzman and I am the creator and writer of The Patriots Beat. I am a 17-year kid who is an optimistic pessimist about the City of Champions. I started The Patriots Beat in August of 2022 and never expected to grow so much but here we are. Feel free to email Thepatriotsbeat@gmail.com with any inquires.
