Stephen A. Smith believes the impact of Stephen Gostkowski’s season-ending injury cannot be understated.
The New England Patriots on Wednesday placed Gostkowski on injured reserve after it was deemed his hip ailment required surgery. The Patriots quickly acted to fill the void, reportedly signing both Mike Nugent and Younghoe Koo on Thursday, with the former expected to be placed on New England’s 53-man roster.
Gostkowski (7-for-8 on field goals, 11-for-15 on extra points) had been struggling prior to landing on IR, leading some to believe the Patriots still will be in good shape even without the veteran kicker’s services. Smith, however, believes Gostkowski going down nixes New England’s chances of reaching a fourth consecutive Super Bowl.
“I think it’s going to cost them a Super Bowl. I think it’s going to cost them a trip to the Super Bowl,” Smith said Thursday on ESPN’s “First Take.” “It’s not to say that he’s been great. When you think about the Patriots, think about who they’ve had. They’ve had basically, since 1996, Adam Vinatieri, a Hall of Famer as far as I’m concerned. They had this game named Shayne Graham or whatever his name was for like eight games in 2010 and other than that Gostkowski, who they drafted in the fourth round in 2006. Those are the only three, and he’s pretty much been the man since 2006 with the exception of those eight games. He’s missed some, he’s made some big-time field goals, including in the Super Bowl. He’s missed his share. This year he’s missed four extra points, which has just annoyed Patriots fans. We get all of that. But when you got a guy that experienced, you’re not worried as much about them in the big moment because they find a way to figure it out and get it done when it really, really counts.
“They’re considering Mike Nugent. That’s a former Oakland Raider if I remember correctly. You really, really feeling good about that one? I’m not. So when you look at that, along with the things we’ve been lamenting about the New England Patriots offense because obviously Antonio Brown is no longer there. Josh Gordon, eligibility issues. So far he’s good, but we don’t know whether that’s going to continue. We pray and hope that will stay that way. Julian Edelman has played but hasn’t been 100 percent. (Rob) Gronkowski retired. Tom Brady, age, attrition, etc., even though I have confidence that he’ll show up when it really, really counts. It’s really about putting all that pressure on that No. 1 defense. Number one in yards, No. 1 in points allowed, No. 2 against the rush, No. 2 against the pass. We get all of that. In the end, usually with the Patriots, unless they have a juggernaut, it comes down to the wire and field goals have saved them on many, many occasions. To lose this guy for the season, I think is a tremendous loss and when I look at Kansas City, how potent they are and are going to be even more so once Tyreek Hill comes back now that he’s back at practice. I’m sorry, I don’t see the New England Patriots with a questionable field-goal game beating a Kansas City Chiefs team.”
Well, that take really unraveled.
Yes, the Gostkowski injury shouldn’t be minimized and the Patriots very well could struggle in the kicking game moving forward. But if we’re talking about shortcomings, Smith made a pretty glaring omission. The Chiefs’ defense is beyond lackluster, and it doesn’t seem like Jalen Ramsey or any other high-end defender will be walking through Kansas City’s door to improve the issues. The concern surrounding New England’s offense probably isn’t as pressing as Smith makes it out to be either, especially considering Tom Brady-led units typically grow stronger as the campaign progresses.
Picking the Chiefs to win the AFC over the Patriots isn’t a hot take by any stretch of the imagination. But pinpointing Gostkowski as the difference-maker in this race for conference supremacy seems a bit foolish.
