Kicker Kaare Vedvik, cut by Vikings, costs Jets in 17-16 loss to Bills
Tides can turn in the NFL on a dime.
New York Jets kicker Kaare Vedvik is learning that lesson the hard way.
Just weeks ago, Vedvik was the object of every team in need of kicking help’s desire.
Now after the Jets suffered a stunning come-from-ahead loss to the Buffalo Bills after holding a 16-0 second-half lead, fans are calling for his replacement.
To be clear, Vedvik isn’t the only one to blame for the Jets losing 17-16 on Sunday. He didn’t allow the Bills to score 17 unanswered points in the final 20 minutes of play.
Vedvik misses pair of kicks in one-point loss
But his pair of missed kicks that included an extra point are glaring in New York’s one-point loss.
The Jets dominated the first half on Sunday, forcing four Bills turnovers. But they only took a 6-0 lead into halftime. The lone score came courtesy of a C.J. Mosley interception of Josh Allen returned for a touchdown.
Missed extra point
Vedvik, whom the Jets signed off waivers last week, clanged the extra point — his first NFL regular-season kick — off the left upright, keeping the score at 6-0.
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The Jets had a chance to make it a two-score game in the second quarter when Vedvik lined up for a 45-yard field goal attempt as time wound down in the half.
No dice. Wide right. And Vedvik wouldn’t get another chance.
Adam Gase doesn’t give him another chance
The Jets opened scoring in the second half with a safety and scored again when Sam Darnold found Le’Veon Bell for a nine-yard touchdown. Head coach Adam Gase declined to send Vedvik out for the extra point.
New York went for two, taking a 16-0 lead over their division rivals. They would not score again.
Costly misses
The Bills went on to kick a field goal on their next possession and mount touchdown drives of 80 and 85 yards in the fourth quarter to take a 17-16 lead that held as the final score of the game. Bills kicker Stephen Hauschka hit both of his extra points and his lone field goal attempt on the day.
The kicking disparity added up to being the difference in the game. Bills players reveled in the comeback after the win.
A few players yelling 16-0 as #Bills head to locker room. Let them have some fun pic.twitter.com/IeDEybPAxh
— Mike Catalana (@MikeCatalana) September 8, 2019
Jets had a Pro Bowl kicker
Last year, the Jets had a Pro Bowl kicker in Jason Myers. They let him walk to the Seattle Seahawks after failing to come to terms in contract negotiations.
Since then, they tried out Chandler Catanzaro, who retired after missing a pair of extra points in a preseason game. They eventually signed Vedvik after Taylor Bertolet struggled.
Vedvik was coveted
Vedvik was a hot commodity after he made four kicks that included a 55-yard field goal in a preseason game for the Baltimore Ravens. With the Ravens employing Pro Bowl kicker Justin Tucker, they traded Vedvik to the Minnesota Vikings for a fifth-round draft pick.
Vedvick didn’t find the touch he displayed in Baltimore, going 1-for-4 with the Vikings, who eventually cut him.
He failed to find it again on Sunday and appears to be at risk of losing his job after one NFL game.
Meanwhile, the Jets are left to loom over blowing a game where they forced four turnovers and held a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter.
This is not the start first-year head coach Adam Gase had in mind.
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