Blair Walsh missed a go-ahead field goal in Week 17, and Pete Carroll couldn’t believe it.
If there was any hope of Blair Walsh redeeming his reputation, he killed it in Week 17. Walsh, who infamously missed a chip shot field goal that cost the Minnesota Vikings a playoff win three years ago, missed a go-ahead kick with the Seahawks’ season hanging in the balance.
Seattle needed help, so Walsh’s missed kick wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Atlanta had the edge on Seattle heading into the final week, and didn’t lose to Carolina. That meant even if Walsh had made the kick, the Falcons were punching the NFC’s last postseason ticket.
That still doesn’t take the sting off watching a kicker not do the one thing he’s paid to do.
Pete Carroll — the king of the GIF reaction — couldn’t believe what he saw. Then again, it’s his fault for not believing that a guy who made his name missing kicks in big spots (against Seattle, no less) missed a kick in a big spot.
That’s perfection. There were rumors on Sunday morning that Carroll might walk away from the Seahawks job and ride off into the sunset of retirement. If for no other reason that we need these GIF reactions in our lives on a weekly basis, he can’t possibly retire.
Then again, if he had hung up the headset and called it a career, what a perfect way for him to go out. Not on a missed kick, but with one final GIF reaction for us all to cherish.