The Los Angeles Rams did not exactly get off to a good start in the NFC Championship Game against the New Orleans Saints this past Sunday.
The Rams fell behind 13-0 and still did not have a first down early in the second quarter when they sent Johnny Hekker out to punt after another three-and-out.
However, Hekker was not sent out to “punt.”
Instead, Hekker completed a 13-yard pass to defensive back Sam Shields for Los Angeles' first first-down of the game, and the Rams ended up getting a field goal at the end of the drive.
That was not the first time Hekker used his arm throughout his NFL career, as he had completed 11 passes over the course of seven seasons before that big fourth down play on Sunday.
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick recognizes that Hekker is a threat:
“Yeah, again, he’s a weapon on the field,” Belichick said, according to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. “He can change field position and he’s a good situational punter and obviously he’s very athletic. You have to respect his ability to handle the ball. I think the main thing when you sent your punt return team out there is you want to make sure you get the ball at the end of the play. That’s not always that difficult but with these guys it’s pretty challenging.”
So, it seems safe to say that Belichick will have Hekker in the scouting report in preparation for the Patriots' Super Bowl matchup against the Rams on Feb. 3.
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