Cody Parkey is public enemy #1 for Chicago Bears fans after a brutal playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Trailing 16-15 late in the fourth quarter, Mitch Trubisky got the offense on the move with two huge pass plays to reach Eagles territory, setting up a 43-yard field goal with a chance to win the game. Parkey even hit it on the first try when Philadelphia called a timeout.
Sure enough, he couldn't deliver again when needed. Parkey's second kick hooked left and hit the goal post, costing the Bears the game. It was the second time this season that he had a chance to win a game with a field goal and missed. That made the 11th kick of 2018 that he'd failed to connect on, putting his large contract signed in the offseason under serious scrutiny.
How in the world could the Bears justify continuing to employ this man? However, it's important to be fair in this situation. Video evidence came out shortly after the game that may have revealed the gutwrenching kick wasn't entirely on Parkey.
Tipped ball should lessen backlash on Cody Parkey, right?
Knowing the ball was tipped certainly changes things. It would help explain why the ball didn't follow a straighter trajectory similar to his first kick. Parkey even said after the game that the kick felt good. Even the slightest tip can have a surprising impact on the direction a ball flies. So he should be off the hook. Except not quite. John Middlekauf of The Athletic made a key point after the game when somebody proposed that belief. Though the tip did redirect the ball, the play was still on Parkey for kicking it too low, allowing the Eagles player to get his hand on it.Suffice to say fans can continue to blame Parkey for the miss. The bottom line is it was a makeable 43-yard kick that he showed in the actual sequence he could make with ease. He didn't. That's on him. He was paid a lot of money to deliver in that exact situation. While some of the backlash he's gotten for it is over the line, it doesn't completely absolve him.
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