INSIDE THE NFL
Kicking in the Clutch
by Peter King
Posted: Wed October 1, 1997
"Field goal kicking," says Rams special teams coach Frank Ganz,
"is like driving a nitroglycerin truck. You have to be
absolutely precise to do the job right." In the first five weeks
of the NFL season, 10 games have been decided in the final
seconds or sent into overtime by made or missed field goals.
Four games have been won with overtime field goals.
Who comes through when the game is on the line? To find out, we
ranked active players in clutch-kicking efficiency. Our
definition of a clutch kick: one that ties the score or puts a
team ahead in the last two minutes or wins a game in overtime. A
kicker needed at least 10 clutch field goal attempts in his
career to make the list. Here are the top 10:
|
Player | Clutch kicks | Pct. | Inside 40 yards | 40-plus yards | |
1. STEVE CHRISTIE, Bills | 10-11 | .909 | 9-9 | 1-2 | |
2. GARY ANDERSON, 49ers | 13-15 | .867 | 8-8 | 5-7 | |
3. CHRIS JACKE, Steelers | 10-13 | .769 | 7-7 | 3-6 | |
4. DOUG PELFREY, Bengals | 9-12 | .750 | 4-4 | 5-8 | |
5. PETE STOYANOVICH, Chiefs | 14-19 | .736 | 11-11 | 3-8 | |
6. JEFF JAEGER, Bears | 7-10 | .700 | 4-4 | 3-6 | |
7. JOHN CARNEY, Chargers | 9-13 | .692 | 7-7 | 2-6 |
8. MORTEN ANDERSEN, Falcons
(tie) NORM JOHNSON, Steelers | 16-24
12-18 | .667
.667 | 8-9
6-7 | 8-15
6-11 | |
10. EDDIE MURRAY, Vikings | 11-18 | .611 | 5-8 | 6-10
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Issue date: October 6, 1997
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