Chad Ryland’s Redemption Is a Christmas Story to Remember and Other Final Thoughts

Patriots

After two brutal misses, the rookie kicker scored the game-winning goal on Christmas Eve.

Chad Ryland and Bailey Zappe shined under pressure and Christian Barmore dominated the Patriots defense. Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

COMMENT

Wake up Patriots Fans, it’s Christmas and there’s a shiny new gift under the tree.

It’s a shocking 26-23 Christmas Eve road win over the Broncos. The Patriots have now won two of their last three games, and Bailey Zappe has improved to 4-2 as an NFL starter after leading his first game-winning drive.

But the real story here is the portion of redemption that is on the table for the rookie kicker. Chad Ryland.

He made his first field goal attempt of the night from 33 yards out, but things went wrong quickly after that.

He hit a 47-yard right hander just before halftime. He wasn’t even close. He missed the entire vertical. The ball went into the stands. Then an extra point attempt hit the post and missed again.

The fights were not new. Ryland missed the final shot against the Giants. He had a big mistake against the Chiefs. He is 15 for 23 this season, putting him at 65 percent on the year.

“I’m just working on some fundamental processes that I know will make me a better kicker,” Ryland said.

But Ryland came through when it mattered most Sunday night. He nailed a 56-yard shot up the middle with two seconds left in the fourth quarter to break a 23-23 tie and secure the victory for New England.

“Often the greatest treasure is found in the darkest caves,” Ryland said. “I’ve obviously been struggling a bit this year and I was really fortunate to be surrounded by a team that believes in me.

“That helped me move forward with my process and then go ahead and take down the last one with a good cross, protection and then holding by Bryce (Baringer).”

The Patriots stuck with Ryland through the struggles, and the fourth-round pick made a memorable kick just in time for Christmas.

“I feel blessed to be here the way it is,” Ryland said. “From little Lebanon, Pennsylvania, to Eastern Michigan, to a year at Maryland and then playing for the Patriots as a rookie kicker, I couldn’t ask for more of a blessing.”

Ryland had a feeling the kick would go in. The same thing happened to special teams ace Matthew Slater, whom Ryland called a “prophet” for predicting the winner of the game.

As it turned out, a little faith went a long way during the holidays, bringing a bit of joy near the end of a lost season.

“I didn’t waver in my confidence at all because I knew the guys I had around me still believed in me and had believed in me all year,” Ryland said. “That means more to an athlete, and even more to a kicker, than I can put into words having that support system in the guys.”

Barmore’s Dominant Performance

Christian Barmore dominated from start to finish. He played a crucial role in positioning the Patriots at the goal line on Denver’s first possession of the game.

He had three sacks and a team-high eight tackles. He punished the Broncos’ interior offensive linemen with a combination of speed and power in the running game and pass rush.

It was a complete performance for the third-year defensive tackle. Although he had already recorded a sack at halftime, Barmore said he took his performance to the next level in the second half.

“My coach told me ‘hey, show up’ and I said ‘I got you.’ I felt a little slow in the first part, but I said in the second that I had to raise the level. “That was my goal.”

Demario Douglas had an explosive catch

Rookie receiver Demario Douglas had one of his best games of the season, making five catches for 74 yards.

He made an acrobatic two-handed catch at the top of his jump, holding the ball for a 41-yard gain as he fell backward early in the third quarter.

He showed off his speed on a 13-yard reception on a slant route and recovered quickly after a hard hit.

It was Douglas’ second game after missing a pair of games with a concussion. The rookie is back and played well against Denver.

Zappe’s latest push

Bailey Zappe completed 25 of his 33 pass attempts, threw a pair of touchdown passes and did not throw any interceptions. After fumbling the ball on the first play from scrimmage, he settled in and handled the game well.

With the type of defense the Patriots have, it usually doesn’t take much more than that to be competitive.

Zappe was 3-for-3 on the final drive, including a 27-yard completion to DeVante Parker that pushed the Patriots past midfield, before spiking the ball to stop the clock. The pinpoint performance gave the Patriots enough time and field position to give Ryland a chance to win, and the rookie kicker made it happen.

Play of the Day: Zeke’s Obstacle

Ezekiel Elliott outran a defender and dove into the end zone for the Patriots’ first touchdown. It was a superbly fluid play and one of Elliott’s best this season.