Overnight, Zane Gonzalez became an internet sensation and Washington’s hero all in one. The kicker doinked a 37-yard field goal that gave the Commanders their first playoff win in nearly 20 seasons. A historic moment requiring nerves of steel, it was made all the more impress as he wasn’t even the team’s primary kicker until a month ago.
But what caused Gonzalez to take his position and Austin Seibert to miss one of the biggest games of his career?
What Is Austin Seibert’s Injury?
Austin Seibert was off to a terrific start for the Commanders in 2024. He led the NFL with 25 field goals made through Week 9 before suffering a groin injury against the New York Giants.
After missing two games, Seibert returned for the team’s Week 12 contest vs. the Dallas Cowboys. However, he missed a field goal and both extra-point attempts and was placed on injured reserve after the game, with the groin issue once again flaring up.
Seibert missed his fourth straight game in Week 17, which completed his requirement for the injured reserve stint. But there has been no word of his return as he missed their final regular season matchup and the Wild Card Round victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Who Is Starting In Seibert’s Absence?
In his absence, Gonzalez took over placekicking duties for the Commanders. And for the most part, he has been pretty reliable for Washington.
Gonzalez is in his sixth NFL season but his first since 2021. He has previously kicked for the Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, and Carolina Panthers. His career seemed to peak in 2021 with Carolina, as he hit 91% of his field goals that season over 12 games.
However, Gonzalez ended that season on injured reserve after suffering a quad injury during warmups, which became a recurrent problem. In the 2022 preseason, Gonzalez again hurt his quad in warmups and spent the entire season on injured reserve.
In 2023, he sought to catch on with the San Francisco 49ers but was again put on IR with an undisclosed injury and later released with an injury settlement. As a result, Gonzalez spent all of 2023 out of football.
This year, he started off 3-of-5 from the field, but upped that mark to 5-of-7, while nailing all 19 of his extra-point attempts in the regular season. However, he won hearts all over Washington, thanks to an incredible 3-for-3 outing in the Wild Card Round.
A DOINK TO THE DIVISIONAL ROUND!!!! @COMMANDERS WIN! pic.twitter.com/TRwyX11zcZ
— NFL (@NFL) January 13, 2025
The third make, a relatively nonchalant 37-yard attempt immortalized him in Washington Commanders history and has extended an overwhelmingly positive season for the team to the Divisional Round, at a minimum.