It’s been 223 days since Kai Forbath drilled a 53-yard field goal to give the Vikings a 23-21 lead on the Saints with 1:29 left in the fourth quarter of the playoff game made famous by Case Keenum and Stefon Diggs.
Since then, the Vikings used a fifth-round draft pick on a kicker in May and cut Forbath this week after that draft pick, Daniel Carlson, won the starting job with an impressive training camp and preseason performance.
But on Friday night Carlson looked more like Blair Walsh, and ironically, his wide left struggles came against the Seattle Seahawks.
The rookie from Auburn missed a pair of kicks, going wide left on a 42-yard attempt on the opening drive of the game, and missing another 42-yard try near the end of the first half.
When asked if he’s concerned about Carlson’s two whiffs, head coach Mike Zimmer said: “Yes, yes definitely.”
Jokes comparing Carlson to Walsh were all over social media, and former Minnesota state lawmaker John Kriesel didn’t hold back when he offered his prosthetic leg to the Vikings.
Dear @Vikings, I will give you this for free. I assure you it would be an upgrade to the current kicking situation… #Skol pic.twitter.com/iXU0SAvQ0y
— John Kriesel (@johnkriesel) August 25, 2018
Kriesel, a well known diehard Vikings fan, lost both of his legs while serving in Iraq in 2006.
The Vikings scored on a one-yard touchdown run by Latavius Murray after Carlson’s first miss, and Zimmer chose to try a 2-point conversion rather than send Carlson out for the extra point.
““Just let him know if he’s going to miss them, I’m going to go for two,” said Zimmer after r the game, noting that he wanted to send Carlson a message.
The Vikings have a very tough schedule this season, so Carlson’s leg could very well be the difference between wins and losses on a number of occasions.
