Minnesota Vikings kicker Blair Walsh is going through some major struggles. This has never been more evident than in Sunday’s loss to the Detroit Lions when Walsh missed all three of his field goal attempts inside Detroit’s dome.
Oct 26, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Minnesota Vikings kicker Blair Walsh (3) walks on the sidelines against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports
There was a point when Walsh’s kicks were considered automatic. In fact, Blair went 10 for 10 on kicks over 50 yards during his rookie year. Sadly, things have been going downhill since then. Walsh has only made one of his last 6 kicks for the Vikings. And his only make over that span was a 20 yard kick against the Jets. He has misses from 26 (blocked), 39, 53, 56, and 68 yards over that time span.
In a recent article on ESPN’s website, Minnesota Vikings head coach was quoted as to how he feels about Walsh’s current slump in his postgame interview on Sunday. Here’s what he said:
"“He missed the one long field goal,” Zimmer said of the 53-yard attempt, via Vikings.com. “But I have not lost any confidence in him. The end of the ball game, he hit it pretty good. I thought it had a chance.”"
With the Vikings struggling due to numerous injuries on offense, the Vikings need a reliable kicker to help them get points on the board. Right now, Blair Walsh isn’t being that player. Although Minnesota is eliminated from playoff contention, they could build for the future and continue to develop the winning culture that Mike Zimmer is trying to instill for the Vikings. And that includes getting their kicker back on track.
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