ARLINGTON, Texas – Dan Bailey isn't accustomed to the kicking performance he had Sunday.
He certainly doesn't accept it.
The current second-most accurate kicker in NFL history missed two field goals in the fourth quarter of the Cowboys' 21-12 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, ending a potential rally that could have kept their faint playoff hopes alive for another week.
Both kicks – from 34 and 48 yards – sailed wide right.
"I'm not sure what it was. Obviously I just missed it," Bailey said. "They both had good rotations. From a ball-striking standpoint they felt pretty good. I'm honestly just going to have to look at it.
"I felt like I had a great pre-game, a good week of practice. Even the misses, I felt like I was striking the ball well. I don't know if I just blocked myself because they were both to the right. I'm just going to have to take a look at it and see."
Bailey's second miss (48-yarder) came on the Cowboys' final possession. With 1:05 left, the Cowboys decided to kick on first down from the Seattle 30, knowing they needed two scores (field goal, touchdown) in either order to win the game.
Bailey certainly shouldn't shoulder the blame for Sunday's loss. His four made field goals were a single-game season high, and they accounted for all 12 of the Cowboys' points.
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"Dan's a guy that's been a reason for a lot of success and a lot of wins," quarterback Dak Prescott said. "So I'll be damned if myself or anybody gets up here and says the reason we lost or anything like that is because he missed some field goals, because the reason we've won plenty of games is because he's kept us in them and made those field goals."
Bailey did admit he's in the middle of a frustrating stretch, however.
Sunday marked only the fourth time in his career that he's missed two field goals in the same game – and it's now happened twice in the last three games since returning on Thanksgiving from a groin injury that sidelined him a month.
On Dec. 10 against the Giants, Bailey missed two attempts from 50-plus yards and the first extra point of his career.
The veteran kicker suffered a groin injury Oct. 22 against San Francisco and missed the next four games.
"My standard's a lot higher for myself. My performance has not been up to my standard," he said. "It's just been one of those things where you're just battling stuff. I missed four weeks there with the groin, so obviously anytime you miss four weeks in the middle of the season that's a challenge as well. I'm not saying that has anything to do with tonight."
