Three Point Clutch

February 2, 2012

By Garrett Turner–2/2/2012

Clutch is the difference between love and hate. That’s what NFL field goal kickers experience late in the fourth quarter with the game on the line. In Super Bowl history, there have been six games that have been settled by three points or less. Three points can make or break a kicker’s spot in history.

Here are the Patriots Three Pointers.

Super Bowl XXXVI – New England 20 St. Louis 17
Tom Brady’s 53-yard drive in the final 1:21 allowed Adam Vinatieiri to
kick the 48-yard field goal as time expired to win the game sparking the
beginning of a legacy.
Super Bowl XXXVIII – New England 32 Carolina 29
With just 1:04 remaining Brady drove 37 yards cementing Vinatieir’s
clutch label after he made a 41-yarder with four seconds left.
Super Bowl XXXIX – New England 24 Philadelphia 21
With 8:43 left in the game, Vinatieri hit a 22-yard field goal to put
the Patriots up 24-21 against the Eagles. The Patriots defense
ultimately sealed the deal in this Super Bowl, but Vinatieri made the
difference.

Former Patriots field goal kicker Adam Vinatieiri was involved in all of
those Patriots wins. Vinatieiri is no longer with the Patriots but the
team’s current field goal kicker, Stephen Gostkowski, says he “leans on
past experiences” for confidence.

“While the stage might be bigger, the goal posts are the same size, the
football is the same and the guys playing around us are the same,”
Gostkowski said. “I feel like if you’re confident in your ability you
should be able to have success, but at the same
time you have to be humble.”

Giants field goal kicker Lawrence Tynes knows all about success when it
comes to playoff clutch performances. In 2007 at Lambeau Field, Tynes
kicked a game winning field goal in overtime of the NFC Championship to
put the Giants in Super Bowl XLII. This season
was déjà’vu. In this season’s NFC Championship game in San Francisco,
Tynes nailed a 31-yard field goal in overtime to send the Giants to the
Super Bowl again.

“Every kick has its own story,” Tynes said. “The thing I always go back
to is my routine. It has gotten me this far, and I’d like to think it
will continue to help me. I just prepare mentally to do all the things
I’ve done all year, and hopefully it works out.”

The importance of a solid field goal kicker was also evident in the
Patriots AFC Championship game. New England erupted when Baltimore
Ravens field goal kicker Billy Cundiff failed to convert a 32-yard field
goal in the final minute.

So it has been proven that field goal kickers can win games. If history
repeats itself, Super Bowl XLVI will be decided by a kick.