Sport

NFL say Eagles defender Hester blocked Parkey’s missed field goal

Chicago Bears kicker’s last-ditch field goal hit the post and crossbar in wildcard game

Chicago Bears kicker Cody Parkey reacts after missing a field goal attempt in the final moments of their loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC wildcard playoff game at Soldier Field in Chicago. Photograph: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Chicago Bears kicker Cody Parkey reacts after missing a field goal attempt in the final moments of their loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC wildcard playoff game at Soldier Field in Chicago. Photograph: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Mon Jan 07 2019 - 21:13

Cody Parkey’s missed field goal that sunk the Chicago Bears on Sunday is no longer a straight-up miss.

The NFL made a scoring change on Monday, crediting Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Treyvon Hester with a block on the play that gave thedefending Super Bowl champions a 16-15 victory over the Bears in the NFC wildcard match-up at Soldier Field.

Slow-motion video of the play showed Hester’s raised left hand barely tipping the football as it made its ascent.

Parkey’s kick clanked off the left upright and caromed off the crossbar before falling to the turf with five seconds left and quickly became known as the “Double Doink”.

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Hester said he was concerned that he didn’t get enough of the kick and feared turning around to see the football sailing through the uprights.

“Me and Haloti [Ngata] . . . we got penetration, got the hand up like coach always says,” Hester told the Philadelphia Daily News after the contest. “Tipped off my fingertips. Felt good . . . [but] actually, I thought I didn’t get enough of it, I thought it was going to go in.”

It was Parkey’s sixth kick this season that hit an upright and missed.

Fans booed the kicker heavily as he left the field. He was bombarded with hundreds of hateful messages on social media sites.

“It’s one of the worst feelings in the world to let your team down,” Parkey said afterward. “I feel terrible. Continue to put things into perspective, continue to just put my best foot forward and just sleep at night knowing that I did everything in my power this week to make that kick, and for whatever reason it hit the crossbar and the upright.”

Moments before the miss, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson had used a timeout to put off Parkey just before the Bears snapped the ball, and Parkey made the meaningless attempt as whistles blew. He had also hit each of his first three field-goal attempts of the game, though none was from farther than 36 yards.

Parkey, who turns 26 in February, spent the first two years of his career with the Eagles, reaching the Pro Bowl in 2014 as a rookie.