Is Andy Borregales' Kicking Job With Patriots in Jeopardy? Doesn't Seem Like It

Despite the New England Patriots' 24-19 win over the Miami Dolphins, there was still plenty to clean up for the defending AFC East champs. One of those things involved a missed field goal from Andy Borregales in the second quarter.

It was Borregales' third missed field goal of 40 yards or less this season. He's 10-for-13 on the year with all of those short misses resulting in every miss he has in his second season. Now, of course, it was raining hard in Miami during the game, but Borregales hasn't had a perfect year in 2026 to this point.

That miss to the right kept the score at 6-3 Miami, and that lead would later balloon up to 13-3 at halftime.

He's 20-for-21 on extra points this year, and has reached 50 yards on a field goal. Could the Patriots potentially make a change (or bring in some competition) at kicker soon? Based on Mike Vrabel's answer when he was asked about it Monday, it doesn't feel like it.

"That needs to get corrected. I've got a lot of confidence in Andy," Vrabel said. "I think when you see the timing and when the approach is in rhythm, it looks really good. We have to make our kicks. Everybody has a job here."

We've seen teams across the league make decisions on a new kicker based on some misses. The Los Angeles Rams moved on from Harrison Mevis after a shaky primetime outing against the Buffalo Bills a few weeks back, and just a week ago, the Kansas City Chiefs signed Justin Tucker to the practice squad in response to a few Harrison Butker misses.

September 20, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots place kicker Andy Borregales (8) kicks the ball to the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Patriots Remain Set On Borregales At Kicker

Borregales doesn't seem like he needs to be worried about the state of his job security just yet, but if these misses keep happening, that might need to be a larger conversation. However, Borregales — a sixth-round pick a year ago — has all the leg strength in the world to be an excellent kicker for New England.

In his career, he's 82.2% on field goals and 96.1% on extra points. That's a good clip a year-plus into his NFL tenure.

Other than the miss, Borregales hit a 34-yard field goal to open up the scoring and was perfect on all three extra point attempts. He also tackled Dolphins running back Jaylen Wright on a kickoff return, potentially saving a touchdown-scoring sprint.

For now, the Patriots' special teams trio of Borregales, punter Mitch Wishnowsky and long snapper Julian Ashby remains in tact. But a confident Vrabel wants to make sure that Borregales is accurate on his kicks for the remainder of the year.

"There's no real message. It's, 'Hey, we've got to make them,'" Vrabel said about his message to Borregales. "But I've got a lot of confidence. I thought he did a really nice job on the kickoff with the ball placement. Hopefully, he's making a lot of extra points and not having to kick a lot of field goals."

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