Was that an impostor kicking field goals for the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday in the Divisional Round against the Kansas City Chiefs?
Nope. It was all-time great Adam Vinatieri, who missed a 23-yard field goal near the end of the first half and then proceeded to miss an extra point in the fourth quarter.
While Vinatieri's misses ultimately ended up not mattering in what was a 31-13 Colts loss, the 46-year-old legend was still down in the dumps after the game was over.
“It was a tough day,” said Vinatieri (via Charlie Clifford of WISH-TV), who entered the game having made all eight of his field goals from 20-29 yards this season. “Field was in tough shape but I need to do better. Can't give them the momentum back like that.”
On the year overall, Vinatieri made 23 of his 27 field-goal attempts and went 44-for-47 in extra points.
Throughout his illustrious 24-year career, Vinatieri had missed just six field goals inside of 30 yards in his career and is known for his ability to make big kicks in big games.
Vinatieri cemented himself a New England Patriots legend when he made two crucial kicks during their infamous Divisional Round playoff victory over the Oakland Raiders in January 2002. First, he made a 45-yarder to send the game into overtime. Then, he won the game with a 23-yarder in the extra session.
Here is the catch: both of those field goals came during a brutal snowstorm, and Vinatieri's 45-yard boot is considered to be one of the most difficult field-goal makes in NFL history.
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