Cardinals’ Catanzaro wide left on game-winning FG attempt
Sep 11, 2016, 10:04 PM | Updated: Sep 12, 2016, 11:14 am
Arizona Cardinals kicker Chandler Catanzaro (7) looks at punter Drew Butler (2) after missing a game winning field goal attempt during the second half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz. The Patriots won 23-21. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Chandler Catanzaro had been in this position before, called on to make a field goal and give the Cardinals a win.
Last year against the Cincinnati Bengals, he connected from 32-yards out with six seconds remaining to push the Cardinals to a 34-31 win, and a few weeks later his 47-yard make with 1:23 remaining lifted Arizona to a 23-20 win over the Minnesota Vikings.
Sunday night against the Patriots, 41 seconds remained when he lined up to attempt a 47-yard kick with the Cardinals trailing by two. This one sailed wide left, leaving the Cardinals on the wrong side of a 23-21 final score.
“It was a low snap,” Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said. “Drew (Butler) got it down and [Catanzaro] pulled it.”
The snap, from rookie Kameron Canaday, was low, though it was placed in time for Catanzaro to get a good piece of the ball. But from the moment it left his foot, the kick never had a chance.
“I’ve got to make the kick,” Catanzaro said. “That’s just a good old-fashioned miss. That’s on me — this game falls on my shoulders — I appreciate the opportunity the offense gave me. A great drive down the field, I’ve got to make the kick.”
Catanzaro refused to place any blame on Canaday for the snap, repeating the claim that the loss was his fault and the miss is on his shoulders.
For an NFL kicker, the joy of producing a game-winner is matched by the despair following a big miss.
But while Catanzaro is trying to take the blame, Canaday said the snap, which did not feel good when it left his hands, is one he would like to take back but will need to learn and improve upon.
“It was just a little low,” he said. “I wish I could give my kicker something to work with, a little bit better, but it didn’t happen.”
Not an ideal snap for the Arizona Cardinals on the missed go-ahead field goal. #NEsAZ pic.twitter.com/Cm9TOk5Kbu
— SNF on NBC (@SNFonNBC) September 12, 2016
Both Canaday and Catanzaro said they received nothing but support from their teammates following the miss.
After the game, quarterback Carson Palmer expressed confidence that Canaday will bounce back, adding, “it’s a great learning experience, an opportunity to go through something like that.”
As for Catanzaro, linebacker Kevin Minter reaffirmed the confidence he has in the kicker. In sticking with the night’s theme, he said the responsibility for the loss did not lie with the kicking game at all.
“We didn’t make enough plays — he shouldn’t have even been in that position to where he had to make a last-minute field goal,” Minter said, pointing to all the third-down conversions the defense gave up. “The offense gave us a lead, we just didn’t execute on defense.
“Cat, I have all the confidence in the world in Cat. In my opinion, he’s the best kicker in the league. He makes that nine out of 10 times.”
Catanzaro said he appreciated the support but knows in his heart he should have made the kick. This one, he said, will sting for a few days.
“This game falls on me, for sure, and I hate it,” he said. “But I know I’m going to step up when the team needs me next.”
