The Houston Texans – still stinging from a missed field goal last Sunday that could make all the difference in the AFC playoff race – are playing a game of “Musical Chairs” at the kicker position.
On Tuesday, the Texans conducted workouts with a pair of veteran kickers, including Brett Maher, best known as a former member of the Dallas Cowboys, while also opting to bring back to the roster Matt Ammendola, who was waived at the start of the week.
Ammendola missed a 58-yard field goal last Sunday as the ball hit the crossbar, keeping the Texans from pushing the for-first-place game with the Jacksonville Jaguars into OT. The failure on the potential game-tying kick resulted in Houston suffering a 24-21 loss to Jacksonville.
MATT AMMENDOLA OFF THE CROSSBAR AND THE #TEXANS LOSE BY INCHES……. pic.twitter.com/owiBMMPiqG — MLFootball (@_MLFootball) November 26, 2023 In the immediate aftermath, coach DeMeco Ryans said, “We’ll keep going with Matt.
We’ll keep going, give him opportunities.” And that may end up being the case as the team awaits the healthy return from IR of Ka’imi Fairbairn. That could happen next week. Related: Texans vs. Broncos Preview: C.J. ‘Can’t Focus on Chaos’ But this week? Houston is …, is still chasing the Jags in the AFC South, and now faces Russell Wilson and the resurgent Denver Broncos.
And Houston is still covering its bases with kickers, Maher having been joined by Taylor Russolino at the tryout. Maher has bounced around since the end of last season in Dallas, where during the playoffs he missed four of five extra points during the Cowboys’ wild card playoff win at Tampa and then had an extra point blocked the following week at San Francisco. Copyright ABG-SI LLC.
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. All Rights Reserved. This story was originally published November 29, 2023, 4:39 AM. Take Us With You Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.
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