On January 21, 2024, the Buffalo Bills hosted the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Buffalo entered the game beyond banged up — they were down crucial stalwarts, especially Terrel Bernard on defense.
It was as tough-fought as you would imagine a game between these two teams to be in recent years, matching the intensity and competitiveness of their last few significant meetings.
With 1:47 left in the game, down 27-24 after entering the fourth quarter up 24-20, with a trip to the AFC Championship Game on the line, kicker Tyler Bass lined up for a 44-yard field goal to tie the game. He missed it. Wide right.
Ever since that kick, which is one that you expect your NFL kicker to make, questions have surrounded Bass. His preseason was rocky, to put it mildly, and yet the coaching staff and front office have continued to stand behind him and support him every step of the way.
"Not at this time. We looked at all sorts of things. T-Bass, I get the question, I do. I understand. If he had a short history here, we probably would have," general manager Brandon Beane said on August 28th when asked about the potential of adding a kicker to the practice squad after Bass missed a field goal in a preseason game. "But if you look at his career — I know what's fresh. I know we're all 'what have you done for me lately,' and the end of the season, he'd be the first to tell you it was not the way it should go or that he wanted it to go, but we're confident in him. His teammates are confident in him."
"We got him in the COVID year of 2020, he got no preseason games. I think we've just got to relax and give him a chance to remain confident. I think Sean [McDermott] said it after the game, like he doesn't need Twitter or the fans or whoever telling him. He knows. He's his own worst critic. He works like crazy on his craft, and nobody wants it more than him. Nobody's working harder. And again, we're very confident in him."
To put it bluntly, when you miss kicks, people are going to talk. When any professional athlete isn't living up to the standard for their position, fans, media members, and the like are going to point it out.
It's nothing personal. I'm sure Bass has received more than his fair share of hate mail, and that's entirely inappropriate and crosses the line, but criticizing his play is fair.
Bass had a chance to keep the Bills in the game in the playoffs, and he missed by a lot. Unfortunately for Bass, the story has continued.
Bass has now missed five kicks through six games, including three field goals and two extra points.
On Monday night, Bass missed one of each, shanking an extra point horrendously and following it up with a missed field goal from 47 yards out. Later in the game, lining up a 22 yard field goal, he hit a knuckler that narrowly squeaked inside the right upright.
Joe Buck on the ESPN call put Bass in a body bag, saying "I've seen better kick than that on College Gameday," referencing their new competition each week where they allow college kids to attempt a kick for tuition money.
After the game, McDermott was asked about Bass.
"He knows he needs to make those kicks. Bottom line. He knows he needs to make those kicks," he said. It sounds like the patience is running out.
Bass is currently sporting a 75% field goal percentage while also missing two extra points. That is categorically bad.
At some point, confidence is earned, and there isn't much reason to be confident that Bass is worthy of trotting out there with the game on the line. The seat is beyond warm at this point for Bass, as Beane and McDermott need to take a hard look at the kicking position and consider making a change.
Related: Buffalo Bills' QB Josh Allen speaks on rookie after phenomenal MNF performance against the Jets
Follow along all season for all the latest Buffalo Bills news. You can also find me on X @JonHelmkamp .
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