Placekicker gets back on track during Arizona Cardinals win
By Jim Koch
Arizona Cardinals placekicker Zane Gonzalez won back the confidence of the organization during the team’s week-two victory
The first Sunday of the 2020 NFL campaign was not a great one for the placekicker of the Arizona Cardinals. Zane Gonzalez, who laid claim to the club’s kicking position with an outstanding performance last season, looked a bit shaky during this year’s opening game. The 25-year old, who botched two out of his three field-goal attempts against the San Francisco 49ers, badly needed to get back on track when the Cards faced the Washington football team this past weekend.
With the pressure on, Gonzalez managed to come through in a big way for Arizona. The former Cleveland Browns draft pick contributed to his team’s 30-15 triumph over Washington by making good on all six of his kicks. Gonzalez was perfect on three field-goal attempts, and on all three of his PATs as well.
Gonzalez’s first field-goal try during the matchup, a 49-yarder, was almost a failure. The football appeared to heading wide-right until something miraculously pushed it inside of the upright. It was far from pretty, but Gonzalez’s boot had given the Cardinals a 17-0 lead with 11:29 to go until halftime.
The second of Gonzalez’s three field goals on the day came on the Cards next drive. A 33-yarder capped off a 10-play, 75-yard drive by Kyler Murray and company. Gonzalez’s third three-pointer, a 28-yarder, gave Arizona a 30-15 lead with 26 seconds to play in the contest.
Though it was downplayed by head coach Kliff Kingsbury, it appeared as if the Cardinals front office had sent Gonzalez a message this past Friday. Mike Nugent, a veteran of 15 professional seasons, was signed to the club’s practice squad. Kingsbury told reporters that the acquisition was strictly insurance for the coronavirus, but there’s no doubt that the 38-year old Nugent would be an option for the Cards if Gonzalez continued to struggle.
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For now, Gonzalez has re-established himself as Arizona’s number-one placekicker. If Sunday’s clash with Washington was a test, the former Arizona State University product passed it with flying colors. For now, Nugent will remain on the practice squad, but Gonzalez will need to continue having success in the coming weeks to keep him there.