A different kind of gamesmanship took place in London on Sunday morning as the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings played the first game overseas this 2024 NFL season.
Veteran placekicker Greg Zuerlein was looking to warm up for his field goal opportunities that could come for his Jets in Week 5, and he could’ve been visualizing the distractions he would face during the contest when he stepped back to drill one through the goal posts.
But it’s likely he wasn’t visualizing the Vikings’ cheerleaders as a potential distraction, but that’s exactly what transpired in the middle of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium field.
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New York Jets place kicker Greg Zuerlein warms up for the Carolina Panthers game at Bank of America Stadium. (Jim Dedmon-USA Today Sports)
The Vikings cheerleaders were performing for the London crowd before the game, and that meant stepping right in the middle of Zuerlein’s field goal try.
But, while they continued to dance in sync, Zuerlein stayed locked in and waited for a moment to still kick.
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He found that time when the cheerleaders lined up in two lines with him in between. As they continued the routine, Zuerlein stepped into the football and smashed it through the uprights.
New York Jets place kicker Greg Zuerlein before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. (Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images)
Zuerlein, in Year 13 in the NFL, has likely been in this situation before as it’s common for teams to have pre-game performances to get fans hyped for the game to come.
It at least looked like Zuerlein has been in this position, as he remained locked in with his pre-game routine and didn’t let it throw him off.
The 37-year-old kicker is in his third season with the Jets, and he’s hit 5-of-7 field goal attempts through four games entering Sunday. He also drilled all seven of his extra-point attempts.
New York Jets place kicker Greg Zuerlein during the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. (Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images)
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Zuerlein has made 334 of his 403 field goal attempts over his long career in the league. He was also a Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro in 2017 with the Los Angeles Rams when he hit 38-of-40 attempts, including 6-of-7 from 50-plus yards away.
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