Dallas Cowboys kicker Brett Maher needs to get back on track Sunday in order for the Cowboys to pull off the upset over the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC's divisional round. Maher is coming off a brutal wild-card game in which he missed an NFL-record four extra points.
The Cowboys won the game despite Maher's struggles, and then immediately signed another kicker to their practice squad ahead of Sunday's road game against the 49ers.
Maher responded with a strong practice Thursday, and will look to get back on track against the 49ers on Sunday. The 49ers, however, have other ideas.
During Maher's pregame warmups, some members of the 49ers attempted to disrupt his kicking drills.
A little drama in Cowboys-49ers pregame: Niners apparently took offense to Cowboys kicker Brett Maher warming up on side of field, stepping in middle of his operation to interrupt drill. Niners eventually allowed Maher to resume kicking. He made next try. pic.twitter.com/zOuYIDp3El
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) January 22, 2023
Words were exchanged, but Maher was allowed to continue warming up. That didn't go super well. Maher hit his next kick, but was spotty throughout warmups.
This was to the open side of the stadium. Let's see how he does kicking to the closed side. https://t.co/BwuDWzoPv1
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) January 22, 2023
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones eventually came out on the field to speak with Maher. That might be unusual for most team owners, but Jones often chats with Maher before games.
Minutes later, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones met with kicker Brett Maher and holder Bryan Anger before the field-goal warmup again resumed. Jones then chatted with 49ers kicker Robbie Gould. https://t.co/U7zHqtXblwpic.twitter.com/mFMosWg2Ez
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) January 22, 2023
There's plenty of pressure on Maher to get things right Sunday. The Cowboys looked dominant against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and didn't need Maher to convert those kicks to win the contest.
It could be a different story against the 49ers, who boast a dominant defense. If Dallas' offense can't convert like it did against the Buccaneers, the game could come down to whether Maher can hit multiple field goals.
If pregame warmups are any indication, the 49ers are going to do whatever they can to throw Maher off his game as he tries to recover from last week's disastrous performance.
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