THE MINNESOTA VIKINGS fired kicker Daniel Carlson after the rookie missed three crucial field goals in a 29-29 tied game with the Green Bay Packers.
Carlson was shown the door by the Vikings after just two regular season games following Sunday’s overtime stalemate at Lambeau Field.
The 23-year-old missed a 48-yard effort in the second quarter and a 49-yarder in overtime.
He then pushed a straightforward 35-yard attempt wide of the uprights with the final play of the game as the Packers escaped with a tie.
Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer described the decision to release Carlson as “pretty easy.”
“Did you see the game?” he asked reporters at a press briefing.
“Yeah, well, that’s life,” Zimmer added. “It’s hard to figure out. You think you got a guy for a while and then he goes out and misses three in a big game. But, you know, things happen, I guess.”
The Vikings have targeted former Dallas Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey as a replacement.
Bailey, 30, was released by the Cowboys in the close season after an injury-hit 2017 campaign.
Bailey is the second most accurate kicker in NFL history, with a field goal conversion rate of 88.2% through seven seasons in Dallas.
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