Facing a 4th-and-7 with a three-point lead in hand and less than two minutes left on the clock, Mike Vrabel had a decision to make. Would he put his trust in Andy Borregales to make a long field goal, or would he not?
For Vrabel, that decision wasn’t much of one at all. He sent Borregales onto the field without any hesitation, and the New England Patriots’ rookie kicker delivered: despite having missed two kicks earlier in the game, he split the uprights from 53 yards out to give his team a 33-27
lead over the Miami Dolphins.
“You’ve got to have a lot of confidence in him and I do have a lot of confidence. It didn’t waver,” said Vrabel after the Patriots’ win.
After going 3-for-4 in his NFL debut the previous Sunday, seventh-round draft pick Borregales had a rough start to his second game as a pro. His first attempt, an extra point after a Mack Hollins touchdown catch in the first quarter, hit the right upright and bounced out. His next try, following a Kayshon Boutte score later that same quarter sailed by the right goal post altogether.
Starting 0-for-2, Borregales knew he needed to do something. So, he worked on fixing the issue.
“Just mishits. Fixed it on the side, and made it when it counted,” he said after the game. “I got to be better, but just on to the next kick. That’s the mentality that I go in with, and I stay with.”
After his sloppy start, the Patriots called on Borregales three more times. He made a field goal from 22 yards away in the late second quarter, followed by his first successful extra point of the day after Antonio Gibson’s 90-yard kickoff return touchdown in the fourth period.
His biggest moment, however, came with 1:52 left on the clock and after New England had just registered an interception to take over in Miami territory. While the Patriots originally intended to leave the offense on the field on 4th-and-2 from the Dolphins 30-yard line, a false start penalty on the offense forced a change of plans.
“I was going to try to go for the 4th-and-2 to try to get it there. Then when we got backed up, I immediately just kicked the field goal,” said Mike Vrabel.
The decision paid off. Borregales rewarded Vrabel’s faith in him by splitting the uprights and putting his team up six points, forcing the Dolphins to reach the end zone on their final possession. They could not, eventually running out of steam at the New England 28.
In the end, the seven total points Borregales contributed made enough of a difference to secure the Patriots’ first win of the season.
“I’m happy for Andy,” said Vrabel. “That’s why he’s here. I thought after the first two he really settled down, and that’s what we’ll have to have.”
Borregales knows that as well, and therefore already has his sights set on improvement.
“Consistency is the main thing as a kicker,” he said. “I’ll just go back to New England and keep working on that.”
