Jeff Locke takes blame for Blair Walsh missed field goal
By Josh Hill
Vikings punter Jeff Locke took the blame for the team’s Wild Card loss to Seattle.
Next: These Vikings Fans Didn't Know Blair Walsh Missed (Video)
In a game that featured sub-zero temperatures throughout the duration of the contest, everything ended up coming down to one kick and one bad hold. Seahawks punter, Jon Ryan, bloodied his nose and dropped a couple of snaps on the afternoon. Vikings punter Jeff Locke twice took a snap and spun the laces the wrong way for kicker Blair Walsh — the second of those two times being the most fatal mistake of the season.
Walsh missed a chip-shot field goal at the end of Sunday’s Wild Card contest as the Vikings fell 10-9, ending their season after showing so much promise. But while Vikings fans are slaying Walsh for the miss, someone else is taking the blame.
After the game, Locke took the blame for the missed field goal saying that his hold wasn’t what it needed to be.
Jeff Locke blamed himself for not spinning the ball to get the laces out. Said laces were staring at Walsh when he kicked it.
— chipscoggins (@chipscoggins) January 10, 2016
The reaction out of the Vikings locker room has been one of unity as they stand behind Walsh despite his miss. They’d damn well better stand behind Walsh too, as without him the Vikings would have had no points on the board at all.
Walsh didn’t complete his job, as missing the game-winning field goal isn’t what he’s supposed to do. But Walsh scored all of the Vikings points on Sunday, even if he missed the three mist crucial points of the season.