Stephen Gostkowski, who earlier nailed a career-long 53-yard field goal, unsuccessfully tries to coax his 40-yarder through the uprights.
(Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff)
Gostkowski is left kicking himself
Stephen Gostkowski, who earlier nailed a career-long 53-yard field goal, unsuccessfully tries to coax his 40-yarder through the uprights.
(Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff)
DENVER - When the opportunities to make a difference come few and far between, failing can produce a nasty, empty feeling.
When it’s Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski not coming through, an element of surprise comes with it, because it hasn’t happened too often.
Gostkowski experienced both pleasure and pain yesterday at Invesco Field, but the pain came last, and the sting might linger. He missed a 40-yard field goal attempt late in the third quarter, a kick that would have pushed the Patriots’ lead in a low-scoring, missed-opportunities duel back to 10 points. Instead, the margin remained 7, the Broncos tied the game with a touchdown and extra point in the fourth quarter, then won it in overtime with a 41-yard field goal by Matt Prater.
Just like that, Denver’s 20-17 victory kept the Broncos undefeated, snapped the Patriots’ modest two-game win streak, and put Gostkowski in the spotlight for a reason he’d rather not repeat.
“This one hurts a little bit, it’s the first time in a long time I’ve missed a kick and feel like it’s hurt the outcome of a game,’’ said Gostkowski, the franchise leader in career field goal accuracy. “It’s just a little tough to swallow.’’
The Patriots seemed to be in control, outgaining the Broncos in the first half and leading, 17-7, at the break. After Prater’s 24-yard field goal on Denver’s first second-half possession made it 17-10, the Patriots took the ensuing kickoff and moved quickly, racing to the Broncos’ 22-yard line in three plays, the biggest a 36-yard pass from Tom Brady to Randy Moss.
When the drive stalled - Brady throwing incomplete on second and third downs - Gostkowski was summoned for a 40-yard try, with a successful conversion building a two-score lead. Considering he trotted onto the field with 12 straight field goals made after a miss on his first try of the season, a 40-yard attempt by Gostkowski seemed like a sure thing.
Jake Ingram’s snap was good. So was Chris Hanson’s hold. But . . .
“It happened so fast you really can’t tell,’’ Gostkowski said. “I thought I hit it good. Not good enough, I guess.’’
The ball was pulled left, clipping the wind-blown orange flag at the top of the goal post, wide by maybe 3 feet.
Can Gostkowski tell immediately after impact when he’s missed a kick?
“For the most part, yeah, but that time, no,’’ he said. “I felt I hit it pretty good. It’s just one of those things you wish you could have back, because you don’t want to feel like you let your team down. You only get a couple opportunities doing what I do, and you want to take advantage of them.’’
He banged through a 53-yarder in the first quarter yesterday, establishing a career best, a yard longer than a kick he made against the Bears in 2006. He’s been reliable since that rookie season: He missed six field goals in 2006, three in 2007, and four last year, when he made 36 of 40.
Through five games this season he’s made 12 of 14. Nobody makes them all, and obviously the loss won’t totally be pinned on Gostkowski. The Patriots didn’t score in the second half, blew a 10-point halftime lead, and never got their hands on the ball in OT. One miss won’t decrease his teammates’ confidence in him.
“He’s a great kicker,’’ Brady said. “Everyone misses. As an offense I wish we had completed the third-down pass and got the ball in the end zone. As a kicker you miss kicks, as a receiver you drop balls, as a quarterback you throw interceptions, that’s just the way football is. When you have the opportunities, you have to be able to take advantage of those.’’
Another opportunity is all Gostkowski wanted. A good kicker’s best trait is a short, selective memory, and Gostkowski said he only thought about his miss when Prater drilled his winner.
“It didn’t really dawn on me until then that I really could have helped the team a lot more if I would have made that kick,’’ Gostkowski said. “It definitely hurts a little more after the fact. I don’t let it bother me during the game because I’d be doing a disservice to the team, because it just as easily could have been me out there making that kick in overtime.
“It’s something that happens sometimes. It’s not something you plan for, but you have to be able to deal with it and be tough enough to move on.’’
Michael Whitmer can be reached at mwhitmer@globe.com. 
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
