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First things first, Brett Maher was a big part of the Dallas Cowboys offense against the New York Jets. 10 of the 22 points that the team scored in New York came off of his right leg, but when you’re an NFL kicker the ones you miss are generally going to be remembered more than the ones you made. Considering Maher missed a 40-yard field goal and that the Cowboys lost by two... people are going to remember that.
Maher has had his troubles while a member of the Cowboys, he’s almost halfway into his second season with the team. Of course when you replace a stalwart like Dan Bailey things are all the more difficult.
The Cowboys were absolutely right in their decision to move on from Dan Bailey. His accuracy with the Cowboys had started to falter, and he struggled last year in Minnesota, although he has righted himself this year. Still, Brett Maher hasn’t been the answer to their kicking problems.
Brett Maher has missed at least one kick in half of his games with the Cowboys
There are a lot of ways that you can measure success for an NFL kicker. Maher’s strength has always been connecting from downtown, he’s missed more often than not once the team gets close. It’s a weird phenomenon.
Maher’s latest miss at MetLife Stadium put him in a not-so-enviable spot as far as his career with the Cowboys. If you count extra points, you should because they literally count, he has missed at least one kick in half of the 22 games that he’s played with the team. Half.
Brett Maher with Dallas Cowboys
| Game | Field Goals Made | Field Goals Attempted | Extra Points Made | Extra Points Attempted | Was there a miss? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game | Field Goals Made | Field Goals Attempted | Extra Points Made | Extra Points Attempted | Was there a miss? |
| At Carolina Panthers | 0 | 1 | N/A | N/A | Yes |
| New York Giants | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | No |
| At Seattle Seahawks | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | No |
| Detroit Lions | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | No |
| At Houston Texans | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | No |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | No |
| At Washington Redskins | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | Yes |
| Tennessee Titans | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | Yes |
| At Philadelphia Eagles | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Yes |
| At Atlanta Falcons | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | Yes |
| Washington Redskins | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | No |
| New Orleans Saints | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | No |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | Yes |
| At Indianapolis Colts | 0 | 1 | N/A | N/A | Yes |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | No |
| At New York Giants | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | Yes |
| New York Giants | N/A | N/A | 5 | 5 | No |
| At Washington Redskins | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | No |
| Miami Dolphins | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | Yes |
| At New Orleans Saints | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | No |
| Green Bay Packers | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Yes |
| At New York Jets | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | Yes |
It’s not like we’re saying this with Maher only being six games in. 22 games is a large sample size and Brett has proven who he is. He’s a 75% ish kicker that’s going to miss one that you’re going to want back. That was sort of the case last week against the Green Bay Packers and that was absolutely the case against the New York Jets.
Again, Maher played well in general in New York, but he made 75% of his kicks. At a position that can cost you you have to find a way to improve that number and the cruel reality is that there aren’t many other kicking options available to NFL teams at the moment. People like Dan Bailey don’t just grow on trees.
It seems as if the 2019 Cowboys are going to play in tight games just like the 2018 version of the team did. It would behoove them to get a kicker that they can rely on because right now when it comes to Maher you’re literally flipping a coin in terms of having a game where you can completely rely on him.
Those aren’t great odds.