For the second straight game, Dallas Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey was iced. However, this time it was unconventional and it wasn’t by his own coach. New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin called a timeout a split second before Bailey booted what would have been the game-tying 47-yard field goal. On the ensuing try, Giants defense end Jason Pierre-Paul blocked Bailey’s kick, ensuring a 37-34 Giants victory.
When the Cowboys and Giants get together, it’s always a high-scoring affair. Both teams score 30-plus points and the game comes down to the wire. This one affects the Cowboys in more ways than one.
Bailey has been through a rough past two weeks after a record-setting beginning to the season. The timeout catastrophe by Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett at the end of the loss to the Arizona Cardinals was enough to drive any player crazy. Now Bailey will never know if his blocked kick would have went through; he’ll never know if he was iced two weeks in a row.
Most kickers know if the ball is going through the moment they strike it. However, Bailey needed to see that made kick to get his confidence back. He seems like a pretty calm and cool guy, but these timeouts have to be driving him nuts.
As a team, the Cowboys cannot afford to keep enduring these late-game rollercoaster rides. Dallas has several young players that can’t handle that. Heck, the Cowboys’ veterans can’t handle it, either; none of them have much playoff experience.
Bailey is a franchise kicker; there’s no doubt about that. But he needs football games to end normally, whether that be with a missed or made kick. The same is true for the entire Cowboys’ team; quarterback Tony Romo is as inconsistent as they come mentally as are several of his Dallas teammates.
These close games and squirrely finishes are going to take their toll on this team from a psychological standpoint. Dallas needs a quality win, which is what the Giants game should have been. The Cowboys led by 12 with six minutes to play and lost the game. Garrett better get his guys ready for a dominating win over the reeling Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday or the playoffs will be out of the question.
Follow Jeric Griffin on Twitter @JericGriffin
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