PHILADELPHIA — Over the previous handful of games Greg Zuerlein hadn't exactly inspired a world of confidence in Cowboy fans after accumulating a number of missed field goals and extra points. In the week heading into Saturday's game against the Eagles, Jerry Jones seemed to vocalize a little bit of that frustration.
"I think the most important part of a kicker is consistency and it's not consistently missing," Jones said on his weekly radio appearance on 105.3 The Fan.
Zuerlein would turn out to be busy on Saturday night, however, and while he put the football through the uprights a total of seven times in the Cowboys blowout victory, he also still managed to still give Cowboy fans a reason to maintain some nerves about the team's place kicking heading into the postseason.
Having already made a 48-yard field goal and two extra points, Zuerlein missed the extra point attempt on the Cowboys third touchdown to Dalton Schultz in the second quarter. While that one point would turn out to be insignificant in the Cowboys' 25-point victory, the game was tied before the touchdown, and Zuerlein's miss kept it a six-point game.
After the game, it's no surprise that one miss was on the kicker's mind.
"You always tend to focus on what you didn't do well because that's what you're supposed to do," Zuerlein said. "You're supposed to make it every time you're out there. I focus on the miss."
The Cowboys didn't have any trouble scoring touchdowns against the Eagles' defense so Zuerlein was hardly utilized for field goals, but he did make the one he attempted, a 48-yard field goal in the first quarter. He made six of his seven extra point attempts on the night.
"It's not ideal," Zuerlein said of having anything less than a perfect night. "It's not exactly what you want and it gives you things you need to tighten up."
Despite the little barb from Jones last week, special teams coordinator, who coached Zuerlein with the Rams for years, expressed confidence in the veteran's ability to find his consistency in the postseason, claiming that had been off by just "hairs."
As far as Zuerlein is concerned, the kicker has been in the league long enough to have bounced back from missed field goals and understands where his execution needs to be at going into the postseason in order for the Cowboys to make a run towards the Super Bowl.
"Anytime you miss you're going to wonder, 'What did I do wrong,' but that doesn't take away from the confidence that you have what it takes. Every kick is different whether it goes in or not."
