The New England Patriots have employed an elite kicker for the majority of Bill Belichick's 24-year tenure as head coach. But it looks like those days are over.
New England's decision to move on from veteran Nick Folk this offseason and spend a 2023 fourth-round draft pick on Chad Ryland hasn't panned out, to say the least. Ryland shanked a 35-yard chip shot with six seconds remaining in regulation Sunday at MetLife Stadium, blowing an opportunity to force overtime and sealing the Patriots' 10-7 loss to the lowly New York Giants.
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Ryland has made just 12 of 18 field goal attempts this season for a 66.7 percent success rate that ranks second-to-last in the NFL among kickers with at least 10 attempts. His six missed field goals are tied for the most in the NFL, and his inconsistent play drew a rare public call-out from Belichick on Monday morning.
"Chad's a very talented player, but this is two weeks in a row we've basically missed extra points," Belichick said on WEEI's The Greg Hill Show. "It's not good enough."
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Belichick's lack of faith in his rookie kicker was on display in the first quarter, when the Patriots had the ball on New York's 37-yard line but opted to punt instead of attempting a 54-yard field goal with Ryland. Considering Ryland has made just one of his three attempts of 50-plus yards this season, that conservative call may have been the right one.
There are a myriad of reasons why the Patriots are 2-9, but given how much Belichick values special teams, it's still unsettling that New England has one of the NFL's worst kickers after two-plus decades of success with Adam Vinatieri, Stephen Gostkowski and Folk.
Ryland is one of three players who earned a "Stock Down" label in Phil Perry's "Stock Watch" report for Week 12. See below for the full Stock Watch and check out the video above for Perry's full breakdown.
Stock Up
- Jabrill Peppers, S
- Rhamondre Stevenson, RB
- Christian Barmore, DT
Stock Down
- Mac Jones, QB
- Chad Ryland, K
- J.C. Jackson, CB