San Francisco 49ers tried to intimidate Dallas Cowboys kicker Brett Maher pre-game
The play of Dallas Cowboys kicker Brett Maher had been a focal point all week leading up to Sunday’s NFC Divisional playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers.
After Maher missed four extra points in the 31-14 wildcard victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Cowboys brought in a kicker to give him some competition in practice before deciding to go with the status quo.
It goes without saying that all eyes were Maher during pre-game warmups on Sunday, the entire Cowboys sideline and a few 49ers players who took it upon themselves to try to disrupt his practice and intimidate the Cowboys specialists.
Among the 49ers players who were involved included receiver Deebo Samuel and offensive tacke Trent Williams, who was seen giving an elbow to injured Cowboys deep snapper Jake McQuaide as he attempted ask 49ers to give Maher some room to kick.
Maher made 6 of 8 attempts on that end.
And then he went to the other end and made 8 of 10 kicks during a warm up session that was briefly interrupted by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who gave him a hug and pep talk before walking away.
In the game, his only extra-point attempt was blocked. He also converted field goals of 25 and 43 yards.
After leading the team in scoring and having an excellent regular-season kicking, Maher’s future with the team is anything but clear.
This story was originally published January 22, 2023 at 5:09 PM.
