Ever since a missed 39-yard attempt by Gary Anderson (who had been perfect in field goals that season) that cost the Vikings a Super Bowl trip following the 1998 season, the Vikings struggles with kickers have been legendary. There was Doug Brien's two missed extra points ('Get the hell out of here' - Paul Allen) that cost Minnesota a game in 2002. More recently has seen Blair Walsh's miss from 27 yards out in the 2015 Wild Card round and Daniel Carlson's dismissal after two missed field goals at Green Bay in 2018. Now comes the plight of Dan Bailey, who has gone from shaky to completely unreliable over the past two weeks. Bailey missed two extra points v. Jacksonville, and the team did not attempt an extra point in overtime until they had to on fourth down from 23 yards out. After the game coach Mike Zimmer said he had 'zero concerns' about Bailey. This week in Tampa has gotten even worse, in just the first half Bailey missed another PAT, then a 39-yard attempt followed by a 54-yard attempt shanked woefully to the right. For good measure, Bailey missed another field goal attempt in the fourth quarter in the 26-14 loss, becoming the first kicker to go 0-3 on field goals and 0-1 in extra points since 1961.
There will be kicking auditions in the Twin Cities this coming week.