To put it mildly, Mike Nugent did not make a very good first impression with the Patriots.
New England signed the veteran kicker earlier this week in wake of Stephen Gostkowski’s season-ending injury. Nugent’s first opportunity with the Patriots came early in their Week 5 matchup with the Washington Redskins, and he let it go by the wayside.
Nugent’s number was called following a six-play, 75-yard drive that culminated with a Julian Edelman six-yard touchdown catch with just over seven minutes remaining in the first quarter at FedExField. With a chance to knot the score at 7-7, Nugent hooked the point-after attempt in ugly fashion, which predictably sent Patriots Twitter into a frenzy.
We’re not sure how much confidence the Patriots had in Nugent entering the game, but it clearly was diminished after his whiff. On its next drive, New England elected to keep the offense on the field on a 4th-and-1 from Washington’s 22-yard line instead of trotting Nugent out for a 39-yard field-goal attempt.
