Greg Zuerlein reveals kicking slump after costing Jets another potential win

Greg Zuerlein was as responsible and brutally honest as he could be after missing two crucial short-field goals in the Jets' 23-20 loss to the Bills on Monday night at MetLife Stadium.

Unfortunately for the 2-4 Jets, accountability and honesty don't win games.

And Zuerlein, the Jets' kicker for the past two-plus seasons, has now cost the team two potential wins in six games this season.

In Week 2, he missed a 50-yard field goal in the final seconds of a 10-9 loss to the Broncos.

On Monday night, in a game that would have put the Jets in first place in the AFC East with a win, Zuerlein hit the left upright on a 32-yard attempt with 55 seconds left in the third quarter, tying the game at 20:00 stood. 20 and a 43-yarder midway through the fourth with the score still tied at 20-20.

Afterwards, he made a startling admission that he was in a crisis that also affected training and not just games.

“I just don’t kick the ball,” Zuerlein said. “I wouldn’t say the (windy) conditions played a role. It's just that I didn't kick the ball properly and the results showed. Not just this game, but previous games (Denver). These guys (teammates) deserve better and I can do better. “I just have to do it.”

Zuerlein shot 30-for-37, a shooting percentage of 81.1 percent, in his first season with the Jets in 2022. Last season he had a rate of 35-38, 92.1 percent.

He's 6 of 10 from 60 percent this season, and 60 percent kickers don't last very long, although Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich preached after the loss that he still believes in Zuerlein.

“I’m not worried about Greg,” Ulbrich said. “I know the track record of this man and he will find his rhythm here and… this season he will win games for us. “I know that 100 percent.”