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Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals kickers lament OT misses

By The Sports Xchange
Arizona Cardinals' kicker Chandler Catanzaro (7) watches as his kick is no good. Photo by Art Foxall/UPI
Arizona Cardinals' kicker Chandler Catanzaro (7) watches as his kick is no good. Photo by Art Foxall/UPI | License Photo

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Typically, there is only one kicker who sits and ponders "what if" as he curls up in his locker and tries to disappear after a costly missed field goal.

On Sunday night at University of Phoenix Stadium, however, there were two of them.

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In one of the strangest endings to an NFL game, both Cardinals kicker Chandler Catanzaro and Seahawks kicker Steven Hauschka each missed what would have been game-winning field goals in overtime as the NFC West rivals battled to a 6-6 tie.

Catanzaro, who earlier in overtime was successful on a 45-yard field goal and also connected on a 46-yarder in the second quarter, clanked a 24-yard attempt off the left upright with 3:19 left in OT.

Hauschka pulled his 28-yard attempt wide left with just seven seconds remaining in overtime. He made a 40-yarder in the fourth quarter and added a 36-yarder in OT to extend the extra period.

Afterward, both completely dejected.

"I just missed it. No excuse," Catanzaro said. "Just came out of it a little too fast. Didn't stay on it. No excuse for those. The team played their tails off. I feel bad, but I have to move past it as fast as possible no matter what.

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"I know I make that kick 999,999 out of a million. It's a tough deal, but no matter what, I have to move past it as quickly as possible."

Hauschka sounded as if he wasn't sure what happened on his ill-fated miss.

"It is disappointing," he said. "We work hard to make those kicks all season long. ... I feel like I let the team down. We will look at it tomorrow. We'll see if there is anything in there, but I take the responsibility."

Hauschka said the reaction from his teammates was positive, which helps.

"We are in this together," he said. "They know how hard I work at this, and we all love each other in this locker room."

While Seahawks coach Pete Carroll was expectedly kind in describing his veteran kicker's miss, Cardinals coach Bruce Arians didn't hold back in his criticism of his third-year kicker's failure in overtime. Catanzaro also had a 39-yard attempt blocked by Seattle's Bobby Wagner in the second quarter.

"Make it. He's a professional," Arians said. "This ain't high school. You get paid to make it."

Carroll said he had a short, private conversation with Hauschka.

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"He has been making kicks for us for years," Carroll said. "I love him and he's our guy."

Catanzaro said the Wagner block from earlier wasn't weighing on him when he missed his second attempt in overtime.

"No, it wasn't on my mind," he said. "I was just thinking about trusting my line. ... Shouldn't miss in this league. No excuses."

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