Cowboys kicker Brett Maher named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week

Entering the season, the Cowboys made a number of decisions that were met with plenty of hesitation. Among them was the releasing of longtime kicker Dan Bailey in favor of 28-year-old rookie Brett Maher.

Maher has gone on to play quite well in his first season with the Cowboys, he even made game-winning field goals against both the Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons. Maher had a nice game this past Sunday when the Cowboys clinched the division over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he made a 59-yard field goal after all, and as a result he’s been named the NFC’s Special Teams Player of the Week. It’s the second such time this season.

Maher is 29 of 35 on field goals for the season and has a lone missed extra point. These sound like concerning numbers, when he misses a kick it certainly feels that way, but they’re not too far off from the league’s average.

Brett’s field goal percentage on the season is 82.9%, good for 21st in the NFL. Kicking simply isn’t as much of an afterthought as it used to be. Maher quietly has made the franchise’s two longest field goals ever in 2018, his big leg was one of the reasons the Cowboys chose to roll the dice on him.

They were right. Good for them and good for Brett.