Sorry, Cody Parkey. You’re not in the same class as Gary Anderson and Blair Walsh. Not yet anyway.
Social media went bonkers on Sunday when Parkey missed a 43-yard field goal in the waning seconds of the Bears’ 16-15 playoff loss to the Eagles. Bears fans lost their minds over the miss and blamed the kicker for the loss. At the same time, Vikings fans seemed to enjoy watching another team’s kicker fail with the game on the line.
But Vikings kickers Gary Anderson (1998) and Blair Walsh (2015) can’t say what Parkey can, considering it’s now been revealed that Parkey’s kick was tipped.
The NFL has officially changed Cody Parkey's missed field goal yesterday to a blocked kick by Treyvon Hester.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 7, 2019
NFL.com’s Nick Shook posted a slow-motion replay of the kick that appears to show an interior lineman’s white glove flick backwards as the ball rises, indicating a partial block. It’s not easy to see, but if you watch it enough you’ll probably see what Shook describes.
All-22 footage clearly shows Treyvon Hester got a piece of Cody Parkey’s final FG attempt vs. Eagles. pic.twitter.com/kAZdjdXug4
— Nick Shook (@TheNickShook) January 7, 2019
Eagles defensive lineman Treyvon Hester confirmed to The Athletic’s Bo Wulf that he got a piece of the ball.
“Threw a hand up in the air, said a prayer to the man upstairs and that thing touched my hand,” Hester told Wulf.
The Eagles are still alive thanks to the left hand of Treyvon Hester, who tipped Cody Parkey’s final kick. pic.twitter.com/NliKZhQ2eZ
— Bo Wulf (@Bo_Wulf) January 7, 2019
It’s impossible to say for sure whether a fingertip changed the flight of the ball to the point that it would’ve gone through had it been untouched, but Anderson, Walsh, nor Daniel Carlson for that matter, can say any of their critical misses with the Vikings were altered.
So, at least for now, Parkey can blame the offensive line for poor protection whereas Minnesota’s kickers can only look in the mirror to find blame.
