The Atlanta Falcons pulled off an electric 14-point fourth-quarter comeback to upset the Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football, and Zane Gonzalez was the one who stole the show. The 30-year-old drilled a game-winning 43-yarder to seal the dramatic finish and help Atlanta play spoiler.
Gonzalez missed field goals in back-to-back games, but no one remembers that now. Ironically, a kick in this exact same situation against the Bucs was missed by former Falcons' kicker Younghoe Koo back in Week 1, but he made sure history didn't repeat itself.
After a seven-play, 60-yard drive that lasted less than a minute, Koo lined up for a 44-yarder to tie the game. With six seconds remaining, the 31-year-old stepped up and drilled the ball roughly 20 feet to the right of the uprights: No good.
This brutally failed kick ended his tenure in Atlanta on a note fans will remember for a long time. While his immediate failure entering the season wasn't surprising, its occurrence in the clutch was. Entering Week 1, Koo was perfect on game-tying or go-ahead field goals in the final two minutes over the last two seasons.
Zane Gonzalez has the clutch gene Falcons' fans have been hoping for
The once elite kicker saw his clutch gene and job vanish simultaneously. Over the last two seasons, his production dropped dramatically, and the missed game-tying field goal was the final straw.
Speaking of clutch, Koo's replacement, Parker Romo, was also cut after missing a clutch kick. After a rocky six-game stretch where he missed three field goals, Romo lined up to tie the game in New England.
The Falcons were 3-4 and just completed a ten-point comeback to tie the New England Patriots, or so they thought. Romo missed the extra point, and the Falcons lost by one. Clearly, Atlanta dearly missed the clutch gene at kicker this season, but Gonzalez seems to finally have it.
Before his tenure in Atlanta, Gonzalez helped the Washington Commanders in the playoffs last season against the Buccaneers. In the wild card round, the veteran kicker barely snuck in a game-winning field goal to give the commanders their first playoff win since 2005.
Falcons fans had no idea at the time, the 37-yarder that gave the Commanders a 23-20 win in Tampa Bay would be a pre-cursor to things to come.
It's safe to say Gonzalez has earned himself a roster spot through the end of the season and beyond. Although he missed a field goal back-to-back weeks, coming up clutch like this is essential. This season may be a loss, but Gonzalez is auditioning himself for 2026, and it's going the way fans hoped.