The Houston Texans went through every special teams coach's worst nightmare in a Week 9 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn suffered a quad injury during the first half and was forced out of the game. To the rescue came emergency backup kicker and running back Dare Ogunbowale, who booted a touchback on a kickoff, much to the surprise and excitement of his teammates.
The Texans went for multiple two-point conversions throughout the game in a high-scoring battle with the Buccaneers, keeping Dare Ogunbowale mostly relegated to kickoffs. But in a tie game in the fourth quarter on a 4th and 11 from the 11-yard line, Texans rookie head coach DeMeco Ryans incredibly went to his backup running back to attempt the go-ahead clutch field goal.
And Ogunbowale, in his first career field goal attempt, miraculously drilled the kick to put the Texans in the lead.
Dare Ogunbowale is the first player not listed as a kicker or a punter to make a field goal since wide receiver and New England Patriots legend Wes Welker made one in 2004, via Pro Football Talk. Last season, Kansas City Chiefs safety Justin Reid made 1-of-2 extra points.
The clutch field goal kick might be even sweeter for Ogunbowale than you'd think. Ogunbowale got his first NFL carry with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019, and now he's drilling go-ahead field goals as the backup emergency kicker for the Texans against his old team.
Ogunbowale only has two carries for the Texans so far this season, but he made a major contribution in this one for the Texans in one of the most unexpected ways imaginable as Houston's backup kicker.
Follow Us
Subscribe