Blair Walsh Misses Again in Preseason for Seattle

Blair Walsh Misses Game-Winning FG vs. Seahawks: Highlight and Twitter Reaction

January 10, 2016

Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

The Seattle Seahawks have won two straight NFC championships on the back of a young superstar running back, an aggressive running game and the best secondary in football. If they take a third straight, they're going to have a heaping pile of luck to thank as well.

Minnesota Vikings kicker Blair Walsh missed a potential game-winning field goal from 27 yards out, giving the Seahawks a 10-9 victory in their Wild Card Round matchup. Walsh's kick came with 22 seconds remaining after Teddy Bridgewater led a six-play, 52-yard drive that put the Seahawks on the brink of elimination.

NFL Network captured an issue with the hold:

NFL Network @ nflnetwork

Laces out. #SEAvsMIN https://t.co/2LQH971nAH

Former NFL kicker Jay Feely offered smart insight into the situation:

Jay Feely @ jayfeely

He gave him straight laces again!!!!!

Jay Feely @ jayfeely

Not just psychologically it impacts you physically That is on Locke as much Walsh

Draft analyst James Christensen seems to disagree with Feely's take:

James Christensen @ NEPatriotsDraft

Blaming the holder is absolutely wrong.

Vikings punter Jeff Locke, who was the holder on the play, apparently wasn't much of a fan of '90s cinema. Josh Rimer offered a friendly reminder of a movie he probably should watch:

Josh Rimer @ JoshRimerPR

Com'mon remember Ace Ventura??? Laces out Vikings!!! @JimCarrey

Aaaaand more '90s references, this one coming from Mike Vaccaro of theNew York Post:

Mike Vaccaro @ MikeVacc

After that kick Blair Walsh may be forced to leave Minneapolis and join his cousins Brenda and Brandon in the 90210.

Making the timing even worse? The fact that Walsh was near-automatic in these situations previously, as noted by ESPN Stats & Info:

ESPN Stats & Info @ ESPNStatsInfo

Blair Walsh: now 15-16 on FG attempts when game-time temperature is 20 degrees or less after that miss

Adam Schefter of ESPN further elaborated how good kickers had been league-wide in similar situations:

Adam Schefter @ AdamSchefter

Before Blair Walsh's missed, 27-yard game-winning FG attempt, kickers had been 189-of-191 (99.0%) on FGs of 27 yards or shorter this season.

ESPN's Skip Bayless came equipped with all the pun game:

Skip Bayless @ RealSkipBayless

For Vikings fans, this turned into the Blair Witch Project.

Gregg Bell of theNews Observer offered his take:

Gregg Bell @ gbellseattle

Un-freaking-believable. Richard Sherman is on the ground in shock. MIN misses a field goal that was shorter than an extra point. #Seahawks

Mike O'Malley ofGolf Digest captured the mindset of most Vikings fans:

Mike O'Malley @ GD_MikeO

If you're a Vikings fan, how long does it take for vomit to freeze when it's 0 degrees?

With the benefit of Photoshop comes many memes. Many, many memes. Crying Jordan, Steve Harvey and a retired Blair Walsh jersey were among the highlights:

Ken Jennings @ KenJennings

In my opinion, this is a nice gesture. https://t.co/QvLqa9Et2v

Terez Owens @ TerezOwens

The #Vikings head to @AZCardinals next Saturday https://t.co/nevIO5kq9N

Shane Murray @ ShaneMurray_

https://t.co/DJkCSdbaAr

Steve Noah @ Steve_OS

Someone had to do it https://t.co/qjNODXVXI3

Jerry Micco of thePittsburgh Post-Gazette highlighted the excitement of the Wild Card Round thus far:

Jerry Micco @ PG_JerryMicco

The last 2 wild-card games have had wild endings? #Vikings fans froze all day and for what? A shank of historic proportions.

The Seahawks also have a flair for the dramatic. Their Super Bowl loss to the New England Patriots ended in Russell Wilson's game-sealing interception, and now they're part of another thriller. Kevin Duffy of MassLive offered his take on Seattle's propensity for close calls:

Kevin Duffy @ KevinRDuffy

If Seattle is playing a playoff game, it will end in the most dramatic way possible.

No matter which way you slice it, the miss changes the trajectory of the entire NFC playoff picture. Instead of facing the winner of Green Bay-Washington, top-seeded Carolina is headed for another clash with the same Seahawks team that has had its number in recent seasons.

Meanwhile, the bustling Vikings have to go home with one of the more heartbreaking losses in franchise history—one that will echo Gary Anderson's famed miss in 1998 to some fans.

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Source: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2606651-blair-walsh-misses-game-winning-fg-vs-seahawks-highlight-and-twitter-reaction

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