Roberto Aguayo has fielded so much criticism this season, that it almost seems like he’s already a bust. Which is why it’s important to realize that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ second-round pick hasn’t missed a kick in his past three games, or a total of 13 field goal and extra point attempts.
In fact, he’s missed just two of his last 23 kicks, which is a very solid record for any NFL kicker. The last time he really struggled was on Monday Night Football against the Carolina Panthers, when he missed his two of his five attempts in a win over the Carolina Panthers. But that’s over a month ago, and he’s been near-perfect since then.
Aguayo’s high point came today, when he hit four field goals and an extra point against the Kansas City Chiefs, a team the Bucs beat by a whopping two points. His kicks were absolutely essential in getting that win.
One caveat in this whole streak: Aguayo has tried no field goals from further than 41 yards since the Panthers game over a month ago, and all but one of his field goal misses came from 45 yards and out. He’s been perfect on short kicks since then, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be good on the longer ones. We’ll have to wait and see on that.
Still, hopefully this is a sign that Aguayo has fixed whatever was ailing him and will be if not a perfect kicker, at least a very reliable one going forward.