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Saints kicker Wil Lutz was called up for two long field goals at the end of Sunday’s game against the Vikings, and he felt like he hit them both with all the strength he has in his leg.
Lutz’s first attempt from 60 yards was good to tie the Vikings in the fourth quarter, but Minnesota drove for a field goal of their own. The Saints were able to position themselves for one last try and Lutz’s 61-yarder at the final whistle looked set to send the game into overtime until the end. He then fell off a post and the crossbar before falling onto the turf without going over it.
After the 28-25 loss was in the books, Lutz said he didn’t change the surgery on the second kick.
“Honestly, it was the same two kicks,” Lutz said via the team’s website. “Unfortunately, the second had to move a meter further than the first. I thought they were both in. I hit them both on the twists, playing them in the right third because I knew the ball was going to move a little to the left. The second is just a little further to the left. Kind of shocked it didn’t arrive. It is frustrating.”
It’s frustrating to lose on a bad jump and it’s time the Saints did more to ensure their games don’t result in field goals in the dying seconds if they don’t want to risk that happened again.