Cardinals’ Justin Pugh Defends Kicker Who Missed Tying Field Goal

Ammendola missed a late field goal that would have tied the game against the Eagles on Sunday.

The Cardinals fell to the Eagles 20–17 on Sunday afternoon in Arizona after kicker Matt Ammendola missed a 43-yard field goal with 23 seconds to play that would have likely sent the game to overtime.

The Eagles, who entered the game undefeated, jumped on Arizona early for a 14–0 lead before the Cardinals clawed their way back into the game going into halftime.

After fighting back to tie the contest at 17, Eagles kicker Cameron Dicker converted on a 23-yard field goal with 1:45 to play to give Philadelphia the 20–17 lead.

Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray orchestrated a solid offensive possession in the subsequent hurry-up situation to give his team a chance to tie, before Ammendola pushed the game-tying kick wide right.

After the game, Arizona offensive lineman Justin Pugh spoke to reporters before Ammendola walked up to address a media contingent. Before walking away in the locker room, Pugh shared a strong message of support for Ammendola.

“It’s not on one f—ing guy,” Pugh said emphatically to a circle of reporters.

“Everyone’s waiting around for one guy [Ammendola] to come back here and it’s f—ing ain’t right. It’s not right, alright? It’s not on one f—ing guy,” Pugh said again before putting his arm around Ammendola.

Pugh then said to his kicker, “Keep your f—ing head up and we’ll win games,” before walking away and leaving Ammendola to the pool of reporters.

The Cardinals dropped to 2–3 on the season and will head to Seattle next week to take on the division rival Seahawks. At 5–0, the Eagles will host the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football as they look to keep their undefeated season alive for another week.

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