The Dallas Cowboys are without a kicker for the remainder of Sunday after Dan Bailey suffered a groin injury that has ruled him out against the San Francisco 49ers. He has been replaced in the game by safety Jeff Heath.
Cowboys K Dan Bailey out for game vs. 49ers, S Jeff Heath kicking off in his place
Cowboys safety Jeff Heath has handled kicking duties so far in Dan Bailey’s absence.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
With Bailey out of action, the Cowboys went for a two-point conversion instead of an extra point attempt in the second quarter, but were unsuccessful and instead settled for a 20-3 lead. As long as the 49ers offense continues to struggle, the absence of Bailey may not matter much Sunday.
They did give Heath the chance to kick one extra point and he was successful in dramatic and LOUD fashion. His second wasn’t even close to good.
But teams can choose to avoid using a kicker with two-point conversions. On kickoffs, someone has to boot it off the tee, and Heath has been called into action. The starting strong safety for the Cowboys did well on his first attempt, kicking it to the goal line where it was returned to just the 14-yard line.
Heath isn’t a complete stranger to kicking and handled the duties for his high school in Michigan.
Still, the Cowboys are likely going to be content to go for two-point conversions after touchdowns and will probably be more aggressive on fourth down, if possible.
Especially after Heath got a little banged up while playing defense for the Cowboys.
If the game gets close, this could be a potential disaster for the Cowboys.
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