Chargers kicker Younghoe Koo misses another big kick, job may be in jeopardy
It’s not fair to pin the Los Angeles Chargers‘ 0-2 record on kicker Younghoe Koo.
His game-tying attempt last week against the Denver Broncos was blocked. He missed a 44-yard attempt wide right with less than 10 seconds remaining on Sunday, and that cost the Chargers in a 19-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins, but the Chargers could have done more to win.
But as the rookie Koo might find out, when you go 1-for-4 on field-goal attempts to start your NFL career, you might not last long.
Koo missed two field goals on Sunday, and Chargers coach Anthony Lynn didn’t exactly give the kicker a vote of confidence after the game.
“We’re always looking to improve,” Lynn said when asked about Koo’s job security, via ESPN.
[Watch on Yahoo: Ravens vs. Jaguars live from London Sept. 24]
Koo won the kicking job in preseason, and was a great story. He was a soccer star who was born in South Korea and didn’t really speak English until he was 12 years old. Football helped him acclimate to the United States and helped him make friends, too.
Maybe the story will have a wonderful ending too, but it’s not a rosy one after two NFL games. The Chargers have lost two games by a combined five points, and Koo has missed three field goals. It’s not to figure out that math. The Chargers can’t have much confidence in their rookie kicker after that.
After two misses in the final seconds through two weeks, Koo will have some nervous moments over the next couple days as the Chargers decide what to do at kicker.
– – – – – – –
Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
Follow @YahooSchwab