Errant ways haunt kicker
Another PAT gaffe for Gostkowski
PITTSBURGH — Stephen Gostkowski realizes he hasn’t been good enough.
In fact, the Patriots kicker was a bit more blunt while describing his recent performance.
“I stink right now,” Gostkowski said following the Patriots’ 27-16 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers yesterday. “That’s just the bottom line. It’d be nice to be able to enjoy these wins a little more with the team, but it’s not about me. The team’s played great. Luckily, the team keeps picking me up, I guess.”
As a whole, the Patriots could have played better, but rounded into form midway through the third quarter. After connecting with Rob Gronkowski once in the first half, Tom Brady found him for a 36-yard touchdown with 6:19 remaining in the third.
The score could have given the Pats a 21-13 lead, but Gostkowski pushed the point after wide right. It was his second miss in 21 tries this season after missing a critical point after in the AFC Championship Game loss in Denver last season. Prior to that, he’d made 523 straight extra points in the regular season and playoffs.
“I’m not happy with the way I’m playing,” said Gostkowski, one of only five kickers to miss multiple extra points this season. “Mechanically, I need to be better and I’m just not playing good enough for this team right now. I just have to keep my head down and keep working. I’m putting the work in. I’m trying the best I can. I have to figure out how to switch it up so I can be more consistent.”
It’s not just PATs haunting Gostkowski, however. After making 33-of-36 field goals last season, he’s missed three on only 12 attempts this season. The 75-percent conversion rate was tied for fourth worst in the NFL entering the week, and would be the lowest of Gostkowski’s career. He has converted 86.9 percent of field goal tries in his 11-year career, second only to former Pats kicker Adam Vinatieri (87.5) of the Indianapolis Colts among those with 200 attempts in that span.
In past years, Gostkowski has come through in big moments. Despite his recent struggles, he said he wouldn’t shy away.
“I always want to help the team win. I’m not scared to screw up,” Gostkowski said. “I’ve screwed up plenty of times in my career. It’s kind of piling on right now. In my position, you only get so many opportunities. That’s part of it mentally, is taking advantage of the opportunities you get.
“I know that’s the deal coming in. It’s not like it’s a newsflash. This is my 11th year doing it. Right now, I just stink and I have to figure out how to get better. It’s just not working out. It’s kind of piling on, but I’m going to hold my head high, keep working hard and keep doing the best I can as long as they keep giving me opportunities.”