The Minnesota Vikings don’t have plans to bring in another kicker to compete with Blair Walsh – at least not yet.
Walsh missed another field goal in Monday night’s 24-10 victory over the New York Giants. It was a 46-yard attempt that he again pulled wide left.
That makes five kicks that Walsh has missed in the first four games for the season, but even with those struggles Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said they aren’t going to make a change.
“Not yet,” Zimmer told reporters during his Tuesday afternoon press conference.
In addition to the missed field goal Monday night, Walsh also missed extra points against Carolina and missed a pair of field goals against Tennessee.
Blair Walsh is getting some kicks in at the Winter Park field house on day off for Vikings players
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) October 4, 2016
The frustrating part for the Vikings is that Walsh had been very accurate since coming into the league. He had made 87 percent of his kicks last season. The team rewarded Walsh’s accuracy with a four-year, $13 million deal that kept him signed through 2019.
But then Seattle happened in the playoffs, when Walsh missed a 27-yard field goal that likely would have won the game for Minnesota, which has continued.
Despite Walsh’s struggles this year, Zimmer hadn’t talked with his kicker.
“No, I don’t talk to Eric Kendricks when he makes a bad play,” said Zimmer. “We correct it and we move on.”
But Pro Football Talk has a warning for the Vikings, who remember all to well how last season ended.
“Unlike last year, the Vikings are now on notice. The question becomes whether they’ll trudge forward and hope things get better, or whether they’ll do something tangible, aimed at making the situation improve.”
