Sickening Feeling For Patriots' Gostkowski: 'I Lost The Game'
BOSTON (CBS) -- When he's lining up for an extra point, Stephen Gostkowski is as close to automatic as it comes.
The Patriots kicker had made 523 straight extra points (and all 60 in his postseason career), with his last miss coming a decade ago when he was a rookie. It was the only extra point he had missed during his 10-year career, until Sunday.
Gostkowski missed the extra point after New England's first touchdown in Sunday's AFC Championship game, and it's a point that came back to haunt the Patriots and their kicker following a 20-18 loss to the Denver Broncos.
The Patriots' offense had plenty of chances they didn't capitalize on throughout Sunday afternoon's loss, but Gostkowski took all the blame for New England's season coming to an end.
"It's a sickening feeling," he told reporters after the game. "I can't put it into words... I just feel terrible. These guys work a lot all day, put their bodies and lives on the line, for us to come out here and lose by [two points] and me miss the kick, it's a nightmare scenario."
Gostkowski said he was in shock, feeling as though he let down everyone in the locker room.
"I came up short and let a lot of people down; a lot of people on the team and a lot of fans," said Gostkowski. "All I can do now is stand up here and take it all on me. I feel like I lost the game for the team. I should have been out there kicking the tying extra point and helping us go to overtime."
Instead, the Patriots were forced to go for a game-tying two-point conversion after Tom Brady hit Rob Gronkowski for a touchdown with 12 seconds left. Brady's pass for Julian Edelman was tipped up in the air and fell into the hands of the Broncos, and Gostkowski ensuing onside kick was harmlessly corralled by Denver to end New England's hopes of defending last year's Super Bowl title two weeks from now.
Gostkowski wasn't making any excuses after Sunday's loss.
"I didn't hit a good kick," he said. "I should have made it. I've made hundreds and hundreds of those. Sometimes timing is everything. I never thought missing a kick in the first quarter would be the difference in the game. That's why you have to be good all the time and that wasn't the case for me today."
While Gostkowski was beating himself up, his teammates tried to lift him up.
"He's a great player -- the best," said Brady. "Everyone misses them at some point and we had plenty of football left."
"You win as a team and lose as a team," said Gronkowski. "It's not on one individual."
"One play does not define a game. There were plenty of opportunities for us to overcome that. He nailed two field goals to keep us in it," said receiver Julian Edelman. "Stephen is s stud and we love him to death. There is no way it's on him. No way."
"We lost this game as a team. I certainly will not point the finger at Stephen," said special teams captain Matthew Slater. "As well as he played all year, we definitely wouldn't be here without him."
The NFL moved the extra point back 15 yards beginning this season, and it had a modest effect on games throughout the year as the league averaged went from 99.3 percent to 94.2 percent. In the end, it looks like that new rule played a big part in determining who is heading to Super Bowl 50, and who is heading home.
