The game-winning field goal Nick Folk kicked Sunday afternoon was no gimme, but there apparently was no doubt among his Patriots teammates that he would put it through the uprights.
Folk’s 50-yarder sealed New England’s upset win over the Arizona Cardinals at Gillette Stadium. These heroics came just a few weeks after the 36-year-old converted from 51 yards out to give the Patriots a last-second road victory over the New York Jets.
It’s largely been a successful season for Folk, who’s made 19 of his 21 field goal attempts and converted on 20 of 22 extra-point attempts. The Patriots have plenty of confidence in the veteran kicker, and they expressed as much after topping the Cardinals.
“You know that Nick is a great kicker,” safety Adrian Phillips said, per the team. “You’ve got all the faith in the world in him. If you just give him a shot, it’s probably going to go in. As soon as you see it go in, you know it’s good before it actually goes through the uprights because you can see the flight of the ball. Everybody’s all excited and you get into the locker room and it’s the same thing because that’s a hard-fought battle against a great team.”
James White added: “It’s not an easy kick, but he’s been making huge kicks for us all year long. We have extreme confidence in him. All we have to do is get in field goal position and give him the opportunity.”
Special teams has been a strength for the Patriots amid their up-and-down season. Punter Jake Bailey is putting together a stellar campaign on the heels of a very solid rookie season. New England also ranks near the top of the league in both average punt and kick return yards allowed.
Considering the Patriots offense isn’t very potent and the defense has been inconsistent, New England’s special teams will need to continue to play at a high level if the club is going to sneak into the playoffs.
