Starting strong safety Jeff Heath is on kicking duties for the Dallas Cowboys with Dan Bailey ruled out against the San Francisco 49ers due to a groin injury.
Cowboys S Jeff Heath (yes) bangs in extra point off upright with loudest CLANG ever
Jeff Heath is the Cowboys’ starting strong safety and a pretty decent kicker too.
Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images
For a while that just meant kickoff duties with the Cowboys going for two after a second quarter touchdown. But when Ezekiel Elliott scored a 72-yard touchdown to put Dallas up 26-3 early in the second half, the team gave Heath a shot on the extra point.
The defensive back was successful on the try, but just barely. He banked the kick in off the right upright with a loud CLANG.
His second try wasn’t even close to good, but the Cowboys now lead 33-3, so nobody was too worried about it.
Heath scooped up a fumble and returned it for a touchdown during his rookie season in 2013, so Sunday isn’t the first time he’s recorded points in the NFL. But they are the first that came from a kick since his time handling kicking duties for his high school.
He’s also done a pretty good job on kickoffs, booting three that all traveled a respectable distance and didn’t give the 49ers great field position.
The Cowboys won’t get Bailey back Sunday and if his injury is serious, the team will undoubtedly scoop up a kicker before a road game against Washington in Week 8. But Dallas found out against the 49ers that it has a decent emergency option on the roster in Heath.
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