What caused Younghoe Koo's strange missed field goal against the Patriots?

The New York Giants squared off against the New England Patriots in Week 13's Monday Night Football. During the matchup, Giants kicker Younghoe Koo had one of the most unusual field goal misses in recent NFL history.

Koo lined up for the kick as usual, but when he swung his leg, he completely missed the ball, failing to make contact at all. The incident adds to a challenging season for Koo, who had previously been one of the league's most dependable kickers. He was released by the Atlanta Falcons earlier in 2025, replaced by a kicker who was then cut just a few months later.

While missed field goals happen frequently in the NFLranging from mis-hits to blocksit's extremely rare for a kicker to entirely miss the football. This strange moment has led to speculation about whether Koo is struggling with the yips this season.

Technically, the play did not count as a missed field goal. Instead, it was recorded as a sack on the holder, Jamie Gillan, resulting in a 13-yard loss.

I saw it live, it looked like the ball slipped a little, so he wasnt sure if it was set properly. Jamie tried to re-set it, but by then he [Koo] had lost his rhythm. It was just an unfortunate bounce, said interim head coach Mike Kafka after the game.

Koos journey with the Giants began on the practice squad. Following an injury to Graham Gano, Koo was promoted to the active roster and later signed to remain after Gano was placed on injured reserve. He had joined the Giants on a one-year, $1.255 million contract after being released by the Falcons earlier in 2025.

The NFL community reacted to the missed kick with disbelief, calling it one of the most bizarre plays seen in recent memory and drawing comparisons to comically unthinkable sports moments.

Author: Sophia Brooks