McPherson, in his fourth season, has already missed five kicks from 40 yards or more through 11 games, and he missed a PAT in a 26-25 loss at Kansas City. Two of his missed field goals came in the fourth quarter in a Nov. 17 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers when he twice had chances to give the Bengals a lead, and he also missed a 53-yarder in a Week 5 loss to Baltimore that would have won the game in overtime.
The player once dubbed “Money Mac” has not been so money. He’s doing everything he can to get back to that level, starting Sunday when the Bengals (4-7) host the Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3).
“That’s kind of interesting and kind of confusing at the same time; my whole career since I’ve started kicking, my misses have always been right,” McPherson said Monday after the team’s first practice since the bye. “For these to be left, it’s pretty interesting for me. So, I feel like the bye week and then this week, my focus is just figuring that out and figuring out what I’m doing wrong and trying to make connections.”
The misses have been puzzling for a kicker that had been so clutch early in his career.
This is the same kicker that made four game-winning field goals as a rookie and went 19-for-19 on field goals in seven postseason games during his first two seasons. He also entered the year with 21 career made field goals from 50 yards or more, which tied him for the most by any kicker since McPherson entered the league in 2021.
McPherson said the bye week came at a good time for him after his two misses at L.A., which came on back-to-back drives. He went back to Alabama, where he and his wife are from, and had a chance to unwind.
“I really enjoyed getting back to Fort Payne,” McPherson said. “My wife’s mom, she has a place up on the mountain, no cell service. So I was totally unplugged for the week, and it was a great time spending it with family. My wife and I are from the same hometown, so I got to spend time with my parents, got to spend time with her family and kind of have early Thanksgiving just to enjoy each other. It was really fun.”
Although the break was good for him, McPherson said he has felt mentally strong despite the struggles. Having his wife and new baby girl to go home to after a rough day has “been wonderful” for his mindset and helped him move forward in a positive way.
McPherson has always been known for his ability to put misses behind him in the past. For whatever reason this year, it seems to carry into the next game or next kick in the case of the Week 11 game at L.A. He has missed kicks in six of the last 10 games.
“I mean mentally has been just fine for me,” McPherson said. “I feel like I haven’t felt negatively about this season. I feel like I’m hitting the ball well. I’m just not put the ball where it needs to go. And so mentally, I feel like I should just continue doing what I’m doing, but, just find those little things here and there that are going to help me put the ball through the upright. And I feel like it’s walking out there with a little more confidence in myself, and knowing that day in day out, practice, pregame, I do the same thing as I do during the game. So just really understanding and not overthinking kind of what I’m doing.”
McPherson is not the only kicker in the league going through surprising struggles. Baltimore kicker Justin Tucker, known as one of the best in the game, has five missed field goals and a missed PAT, as well, and he’s also putting his wide left.
Everyone goes through struggles, McPherson said, and the best ones can bounce back. McPherson looks back at one particular moment in his rookie season when he felt like he was struggling but then hit a 48-yarder against the Chargers that year and that moment seemed to flip everything around for the rest of the season. He just needs that moment, sooner than later.
“I feel like I got really depressed my rookie year and I didn’t really care much about football,” McPherson said. “Then for whatever reason I opened up to my wife about how I was feeling before that game and told her I was struggling mentally about just playing football. I go out in that game and I think I missed an extra point and then hit the 48-yarder and for whatever reason the mindset just totally flipped and obviously went on to have a spectacular end of the season. That’s why it stands out to me.”
SUNDAY’S GAME
Steelers at Bengals, 1 p.m., CBS, 700, 1530, 102.7, 104.7
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