Tyler Bass is arguably the player getting the most heat from Bills Mafia this season. It’s easy to understand why the heat is there post-playoff debacle, but is all the backlash accurate? So far this season, Bass has done little to quiet the noise.
Let’s rewind to Wild Card Weekend of last season. Bass went 1-3 on field goals (one blocked), and since then, Bass hasn’t been the same. A divisional-round game-tying miss a week later led to some Bills fans looking for a replacement kicker in the offseason.
Continuing with this season, Bass hasn’t done himself many favors. Bass is 9-12 on field goals and has two missed extra points to tag along. According to Pro-Football-Reference’s qualified kickers, the 27-year-old is ranked 27th of 33 in field goal percentage this season and is 25th of 26 in extra point percentage.
The issue with many comes with how Bass misses field goals. Bass hasn’t attempted a field goal of 51+ yards this season and is only converting on 75% of his tries. Bass and the field goal unit have struggled with blocked kicks this season, which have led to some ugly moments and misses.
The fanbase isn’t the only one appearing to be frustrated with Bass.
Head coach, Sean McDermott stated, “he knows he needs to make those,” following Monday night’s 23-20 win over the Jets.
McDermott’s statement could be seen as a sign that the front office may get agitated. Bass is in his first year of a newly signed four-year extension (possible contract out after this season).
Bass who is 11-17 (64.7%) on field goals dating back to last year’s wild card, seems to mentally need a reset. Like goalies in hockey, Kickers can be a strange position to analyze. So much depends on the headspace that they are in. Bass seems to lack the confidence he once had, and sooner rather than later, he must regain it.
As of now, it appears Bass’s job is somewhat safe—as it should be. After all, Bass has made a respectable 84.1% of his career field goals, and contractually, it could create complications.
With that said, it shouldn’t stop the Bills from at least window-shopping potential competition if the struggles continue this season.