In Week 7 on Dallas' bye, Cowboys fans were likely looking forward to putting their feet up and enjoying a weekend of stress-free football. Chiefs-Chargers? Great game. Better luck next time, Kellen Moore. Patriots-Bills? Woohoo, go Zeke! Glad to see him getting some touches in New England.
Then there was the Rams-Steelers matchup that may have given the Cowboys a bit of traumatic whiplash. Specifically, the parts of the game when former kicker Brett Maher missed field goal after field goal.
In the Steelers' win, Maher missed two field goals and an extra point, which would have accounted for seven points in total. Pittsburgh won by seven points, 24-17.
Maher missed two field goal attempts beyond 50 yards and also botched an extra-point attempt. He is now 17-of-23 field goal attempts on the year; Week 7 marked the third time he missed multiple field goal tries.
Rams head coach Sean McVay even explicitly called Maher out after the game and said the Rams would look into their kicking situation.
Cowboys fans know that feeling, alright. They remember it like it was yesterday.
Rams kicker Brett Maher is reliving his Cowboys playoff nightmare
Lots of kickers get the yips. Not so many set records for missed kicks.
Who could forget the Cowboys' wild card playoff game against Tampa Bay last year when Maher missed four extra points? The 33-year-old performed fine during the regular season, but for whatever reason, he could not convert on extra-point attempts.
The Cowboys would decline to extend Maher in the offseason, and he eventually found his way onto the Rams. Funnily enough, the Cowboys will play the Rams in Week 8. Assuming Maher is still rostered by then, fans will get a front-row seat to watching the sweat bead on Maher's face as he steps up for a shot at redemption. The demons in Dallas are alive and well.
