Adam Vinatieri says knee issue has been lingering this season, Sunday's game in doubt
There’s a better answer for Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri’s struggles this season, and it’s not just his age.
Vinatieri has been dealing with a knee issue throughout the season and it got worse this week, according to Stephen Holder of The Athletic. His status for Sunday’s game is in doubt.
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Vinatieri has had one of his worst seasons at age 46. Given his age, that’s understandable. It’s even more understandable considering he’s not healthy.
Adam Vinatieri has a knee injury
Holder said that Vinatieri revealed his knee has been an issue through this season.
Adam Vinatieri says he’s experiencing increased discomfort in his knee and will not kick today. Too early to commit to kicking on Sunday. This has been a lingering issue through the season, but is now exacerbated, he says.
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) December 5, 2019
Vinatieri has had a tough season. He is hitting just 68 percent of his field goals, which would be a career low and well off his career mark of 83.8 percent. He has also missed six extra points, which is already a career high. There was speculation early in the season he might retire, but he continued and the Colts stuck by him.
With Vinatieri’s knee now an issue, the retirement talk will probably follow again.
Vinatieri having his worst season
Vinatieri is the first kicker who seems like a slam-dunk Hall of Famer upon retirement. He has hit some of the biggest kicks in NFL history. He is in his 24th season and is the all-time leading scorer in NFL history. He has been remarkably effective even deep into his 40s.
Time catches up with everyone though, even kickers, and the combination of a knee injury and normal aging would be tough for anyone.
Vinatieri’s status for Sunday is in doubt, and with little time left this season, who knows what comes next if he can’t play this week. The Colts have stuck by Vinatieri all season, but an injury might force them to come up with another option.
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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
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