Buffalo entered Sunday needing either a win or a New England loss to clinch the AFC East, but they weren’t getting much help from punter Matt Haack’s no-good, very bad day.
After a strong 42-yard boot to start the game, Haack’s second attempt was a shank that would’ve netted just 28 yards and set the Jets up just on their side of midfield. He was “saved” by offsetting personal fouls, but then his second attempt at his third boot was worse, netting just 21 yards and giving the Jets the ball at the Bills’ 45.
Haack got a chance to redeem himself on the next drive…and promptly squeaked a 22-yarder that gave the Jets the ball at their 44:
Social media also let him know about the poor efforts, but thankfully, the Jets did not convert, and Haack did redeem himself in the second half, unleashing a 49-yard touchback (29 net) that drew a Bronx cheer, followed by a 52-yard boot when the Bills were backed up inside their own 20.
Unfortunately, Haack’s day went back the other way on his next attempt with 5:30 left in the third, as he bobbled the snap, tried to run around, and eventually unleased a poor dropkick that had a net of seven yards thanks to being partially blocked:
Haack’s first shank and bobbled snap led to 10 Jets points, which allowed them to keep the score at 13-10 as of the field goal following the bobble block.
Perhaps, at least, one can understand on paper why Haack had some issues; the wind was howling as usual in orchard Park, but beyond that, Haack hadn’t actually punted in a game in three weeks, as the Bills did not punt against New England on Dec. 26 – the first team ever to face Bill Belichick’s Pats without punting – or against Atlanta on Jan. 2, when the Bills sandwiched three picks in between four touchdowns on their seven fully-completed drives.
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch