Cincinnati Bengals kicker Evan McPherson sustained a groin injury in Week 13, and it has kept him out of several games. As the Bengals continue to fight for their playoff hopes, it looks like McPherson’s injury will keep him out in Week 17 as well.
Cade York Will Kick Saturday In Place of Evan McPherson
McPherson will miss Saturday’s game due to a continued groin injury which has been giving him trouble.
McPherson suffered the injury in the team’s Week 13 defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers. NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo noted that no surgery was required but that it would keep McPherson out for multiple weeks.
#Bengals K Evan McPherson is expected to miss a few weeks with a groin injury, sources say. Not a season-ender or any surgery required but he will miss some time. The team worked out veteran options today. pic.twitter.com/UtqDIWksPV
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) December 4, 2024
“I’ve strained my groin before, but I knew it was something semi-serious when I couldn’t put much pressure on it during the tests,” McPherson said of how it felt after the game. “The good news is it’s let the body heal by itself.”
McPherson didn’t suffer an apparent injury on any single play, which suggests this may have been an issue that was lingering for weeks.
If so, that would explain the fourth-year kicker’s struggles. McPherson hit a career-low 72.7% of his field goals this season (16-of-22) after hitting 83.9% of his field goal attempts in his first three seasons.
The Bengals placed McPherson on injured reserve prior to Week 14. That means he must miss at least four games, making him eligible to return in Week 18.
Chances are we have seen the last of McPherson for the 2024 season.
That means Cade York, the former Washington Commanders kicker, gets to make another game check. He has hit 4-of-5 field goals since joining the Bengals after McPherson’s injury. He has a long of 59 yards.
York kicked in one game for the Commanders this season, and it went poorly. He missed both field goal attempts in the season-opener vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was subsequently released in favor of Austin Seibert.
The Bengals are the seventh different franchise York has spent time with, but he’s only appeared in a game for two of them. In addition to the Commanders, York was the primary kicker for the Cleveland Browns in 2022, kicking in all 17 games after being drafted in the fourth round out of LSU.
However, York struggled as a rookie, hitting only 75% of his field goals while also missing a pair of extra points. York also struggled in the 2023 preseason, leading the Browns to trade for Dustin Hopkins and part ways with their kicker before his second season.
York did have a decorated college career in Baton Rouge. He was a Second Team All-American in 2020 and made Second Team All-SEC in all three seasons (2019-21). He’s the second-leading scorer in program history despite forgoing his senior season to enter the NFL Draft.
