Is NFL kicking really that bad?

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(CNN)These days, it’s not the best time to be a kicker in the NFL.

Take Sunday in London, when the Washington Redskins and Cincinnati Bengals ended in a 27-27 tie.

Washington had the opportunity to win with 2:13 remaining in overtime, but kicker Dustin Hopkins missed a 34-yard field goal attempt wide left. He also missed a 55-yard attempt at the end of the first half.

Hopkins wasn’t the only kicker at Wembley Stadium who had a bad day. Bengals kicker Mike Nugent missed from 51 yards in the second quarter. He also missed an extra point try in the third quarter.

“Obviously I am disappointed in my execution of what I am supposed to do, ” Hopkins said, according to USA Today. “Especially when you have got guys in here who put everything on the line for longer than a normal game.”

Kickers can’t hide. As the popular refrain goes, they have one job. And when it doesn’t go well, it’s magnified.

“There’s no C grade in kicking,” retired NFL kicker Ryan Longwell told Bleacher Report. “It’s either an A or an F. It’s pass/fail, and there’s nothing like it.”

Kicking meltdowns

There have been several notable kicking mishaps so far this season.

A week ago, the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals finished the night tied 6-6. The kickers on both teams had opportunities to help their side win, but each came up empty.

First, Arizona’s Chandler Catanzaro had the chance to give his team the W with 3:26 remaining in overtime, but his 24-yard attempt clanked off the left upright.

“From that distance, you shouldn’t miss that in this league,” Catanzaro said. “No excuse.”

And there’s been a bit of history: Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri recently set the NFL record for most consecutive field goals made, a run that dates back to September 2015. On October 23 in Week 7, Vinatieri was good from 33 yards in the third quarter.

Of the 43 in a row, 22 of them have come from at least 40 yards, and nine of them have been from 50 or longer. Not bad for a guy less than two months from his 44th birthday.

“You know, age to me is nothing but a number really,” Vinateri said after breaking the record. “Honestly, I’m a fairly competitive guy. I like surrounding myself with the young guys in the locker room and I take it to heart like everybody else does. We all want to do our job. We all want to do our job well and, you know, sometime the ball flies well.”

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