MINNESOTA VIKINGS KICKER Blair Walsh offered no excuses after missing an easy field goal that cost his side a win in their wild card duel with the Seattle Seahawks.
With only 26 seconds left, Walsh incredibly pulled a 27-yard chip shot wide of the uprights to allow Seattle to hang on to clinch a 10-9 victory.
While some focused on the fact that holder Jeff Locke left the ball’s laces facing Walsh, the Vikings kicker claimed sole responsibility for the nightmare miss.
“I can tell you this: It’s my fault,” Walsh said.
“I don’t care if you give me a watermelon [to kick], I should be able to put that through.
“Jeff did his job, Kevin [McDermott, long snapper] did his job. I’m the only one who didn’t do my job there.
“That’s on me.”
The miss is yet another chapter in the Vikings long tale of postseason woe, reviving memories of Brett Favre’s interception in the 2009 NFC Championship game and Gary Anderson’s missed field goal in the 1998 NFC finale.
Vikings coach Mike Zimmer was in no mood to sugarcoat the miss for Walsh.
“It’s a chip shot, he’s gotta make it,” Zimmer said, insisting that his team had done enough for victory.
“We played well enough to win,” Zimmer said.
“This team has a lot of fight, a lot of heart. I’ve probably never been more proud of a football team than I am of this team.”
Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman admitted that last season’s Super Bowl runners-up had dodged a bullet.
“The football gods were with us today,” Sherman said.
