In a league where games are decided by inches, New York Giants kicker Younghoe Koo found a new way to measure failure—by kicking the turf. His stunning misfire against the Patriots wasn’t just a blooper; it was an immediate entry into the pantheon of the NFL’s most heartbreaking and bizarre special teams collapses. From the “Double Doink” to “Wide Right,” here’s the definitive analysis of kicks gone wrong.
On a night where the streaking New England Patriots secured their tenth straight victory, routing the New York Giants 33-15 on “Monday Night Football,” the game’s most unforgettable moment belonged not to a star quarterback, but to a kicker’s stunning failure. With his team trailing 17-7, Younghoe Koo lined up for a 47-yard field goal—a chance to pull the Giants within a score. Instead, he delivered a blunder for the ages.
Koo’s kicking foot swung through, but instead of connecting cleanly with the ball, it dug into the artificial turf just inches behind it. The ball dribbled feebly forward as holder Jamie Gillan scooped it up in desperation, only to be swarmed and tackled for a sack. It was a play so inept it bordered on comical, instantly cementing itself as one of the most bizarre gaffes of the 2025 season and earning Koo a place in the NFL’s hall of infamy.
But Koo is far from alone. The history of the NFL is littered with the ghosts of kickers who failed in the biggest moments. His turf-tearing flub is just the latest chapter in a long, painful story of shanks, doinks, and botched holds that have decided championships and defined careers.
The Pantheon of Pain: NFL’s Most Notorious Kicking Fails
From Super Bowl heartaches to playoff meltdowns, these are the moments that kickers, teams, and fans can never forget. We break down the kicks that went so wrong they became legendary.
1. Scott Norwood: The “Wide Right” That Started a Curse
There is no more infamous kick in NFL history. Super Bowl XXV. The Buffalo Bills vs. the New York Giants. With eight seconds left, Scott Norwood lined up for a 47-yard field goal to win the championship. The snap was good, the hold was good, but the kick sailed just outside the right upright. The call from announcer Al Michaels—”No good… wide right”—became the title of the Bills’ ensuing tragic dynasty, the first of four consecutive Super Bowl losses. It remains the ultimate example of a single kick carrying the weight of a franchise’s destiny.
2. Gary Anderson: The Unthinkable Miss
During the entire 1998 season, Minnesota Vikings kicker Gary Anderson had been perfect. He hadn’t missed a single field goal or extra point all year. In the NFC Championship Game against the Atlanta Falcons, he lined up for a 39-yarder that would have given the Vikings a 10-point lead with just over two minutes to play, effectively punching their ticket to the Super Bowl. Then, the unthinkable happened. He missed wide left. The Falcons, gifted new life, drove down the field to tie the game and ultimately won in overtime, completing one of the most shocking upsets in playoff history.
3. Cody Parkey: The “Double Doink” Heard ‘Round the World
In a 2018 NFC Wild Card game, Chicago Bears kicker Cody Parkey had a 43-yard attempt to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles as time expired. His kick was true enough to hit the left upright, carom over to the crossbar, and fall harmlessly back into the end zone. The “Double Doink,” as it was immediately dubbed by announcer Cris Collinsworth, was a brutally cruel ending for a Bears team that had enjoyed a breakout season. The miss was made even more poignant by the fact Parkey had hit the uprights four times in a single regular-season game earlier that year.
4. Blair Walsh: The Chip Shot That Froze a Franchise
In the brutal, sub-zero temperatures of a 2015 NFC Wild Card game, the Minnesota Vikings were poised to upset the Seattle Seahawks. All they needed was a 27-yard field goal from Blair Walsh, a kick shorter than an extra point. With the laces facing out, holder Jeff Locke set the ball perfectly, but Walsh pulled the kick horribly, shanking it wide left. The image of a stunned Walsh watching his kick sail astray as temperatures hovered below zero became an instant symbol of playoff heartbreak.
5. Tony Romo: The Botched Hold That Launched a Legacy
Before he was a Pro Bowl quarterback, a young Tony Romo was the holder for the Dallas Cowboys. In a 2006 Wild Card game against the Seahawks, Romo fumbled the snap on a go-ahead 19-yard field goal attempt with just over a minute left. He scrambled to recover the ball and tried to run it in for a touchdown but was tackled short of the goal line. It was a crushing end to the Cowboys’ season and one of the defining gaffes of Romo’s otherwise stellar career.
6. Mike Vanderjagt: The “Idiot Kicker” Misses His Shot
After the heavily favored 2005 Indianapolis Colts mounted a furious comeback against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Divisional Round, kicker Mike Vanderjagt had a 46-yard attempt to tie the game. Vanderjagt, who had previously criticized quarterback Peyton Manning and coach Tony Dungy, earning him the label “idiot kicker” from Manning, missed the kick badly. He then compounded the error by getting an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. It was his final game as a Colt, and the Steelers went on to win the Super Bowl.
7. Lane Kiffin’s Folly: A 76-Yard Act of Defiance
Sometimes a fail is born not of pressure, but of pure absurdity. In 2008, with his tenure as Oakland Raiders head coach unraveling, Lane Kiffin sent Sebastian Janikowski out to attempt a 76-yard field goal. It was a move born of desperation and defiance, and the kick predictably fell well short. Two days later, owner Al Davis fired Kiffin in a now-legendary press conference featuring an overhead projector. The failed kick was so audacious it served as the final piece of evidence against Kiffin, a decision detailed by the official NFL report on his dismissal.
8. Joe Nedney vs. The Wind: A 108-Yard Mistake
In 2005, the San Francisco 49ers‘ Joe Nedney attempted a 52-yard field goal into the fierce winds at Chicago’s Soldier Field. The wind didn’t just stop the kick; it pushed it backward into the waiting arms of Bears returner Nathan Vasher, who was 8 yards deep in his own end zone. Vasher proceeded to return the missed field goal 108 yards for a touchdown, a turning point in a game the Bears would go on to win 17-9, a result confirmed by the official Pro-Football-Reference box score.
These moments of failure are etched into the NFL’s history, serving as a brutal reminder of the fine line between glory and goat status. For the fastest and most insightful analysis that goes beyond the box score, stay with onlytrustedinfo.com.
