Zane Gonzalez actually felt a little discomfort in his hip before kicking the game-winning field goal in Washington’s 23-20 win over Tampa Bay on Sunday.
In the locker room following his game-winner from 37 yards as time expired, Gonzalez said, “The kick prior to that, I had a little something going on in my hip. But I hit it in the net, and it felt fine. So I was just trying to stay smooth, stay underneath it, and hit it right.”
Gonzalez looked like a nervous wreck on the sideline. He fidgeted with his sock and shoe on his kicking foot, then wiped his hair and head several times before finally putting on his helmet.
Zane Gonzales is something! Did you see all that OCD shit with his socks? And the helmet and hair. Poor guy. Being an NFL kicker gonna shorten his life. But tonite, he’s King!
— Steve Czaban (@czabe) January 13, 2025
Can you blame him? Gonzalez had no job when the season began, but Adam Peters brought him to Washington when starting kicker Austin Seibert became injured. Gonzalez knew more than everyone else watching what was riding on his final kick.
What did Gonzalez think when his right foot struck the ball?
“As soon as I hit it, I thought it was going in,” he recalled. “I’m not going to lie; I felt really good about it. And then it kept on fading on me.”
And what did he think when he saw it actually hit the inside of the right upright?
“Me being a little bit of a perfectionist (my wife will say), I was a little upset it doinked in. I wanted it to go smooth, right down the middle. But a make is a make, and I will take it and get out of here with a win.”
Much like the Commanders’ entire team, Gonzalez likes to keep it interesting until the end.
