Darius Slay trolls Rodrigo Blankenship after pivotal missed field goal

To cap off the roughest week in NFL history, kicker Rodrigo Blankenship missed three kicks, including a potential game-winner with four seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. The Colts kicker was certainly not alone, NFL kickers finished with more missed extra points than any week of the Super Bowl era.

However, Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay feels Rodrigo Blankenship should be exempt from a mulligan. After all, he has an advantage.

“It’s no way he should be missing kicks with them glasses on,” Slay tweeted on Monday night after Blankenship’s third miss.

Quandre Diggs, who played beside Darius Slay on the Detroit Lions, came to Rodrigo Blankenship’s defense. He told his former teammate to “grow up,” drawing the response “one day” from Slay. Former NFL cornerback Marcus Cromartie also chimed in, laughing at the exchange between friends.

More about Rodrigo Blankenship

Rodrigo Blankenship is a former Georgia Bulldog who became famous for his glasses. One of the only football players wearing goggles on the field, he stands out. Nicknamed “Hot Rod” and “Specs” over his career, Blankenship has never shied away from the spotlight.

At Georgia, he was 200-for-200 on extra point attempts over four seasons, making 80-of-97 field goal attempts. He scored 440 points for the Bulldogs before leaving for the NFL draft.

Despite going undrafted in 2020, he signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent. He won the job as a rookie and has remained the starter ever since. As a rookie, Blankenship made 43-of-45 extra point attempts and 32-of-37 field goals. Through five games in 2021, he is 7-for-8 on extra points and 11-for-14 on field goals.

Unfortunately, Monday was not his night. Blankenship missed three kicks total. Tied 25-25, he had a field goal blocked, then missed his second attempt as time expired. Rumors began spiraling ahead of his potential game-winner that he was dealing with a hip injury.

The Colts seemed to consider letting punter Rigoberto Sanchez attempt the kick but opted for Rodrigo Blankenship instead. Ultimately the decision failed, leading to an overtime loss.

Indianapolis is still awaiting Blankenship’s long-term diagnosis, something head coach Frank Reich fears could cause problems.

“Especially because last night being Monday, we were getting back late last night/early this morning,” Reich told the Indianapolis Star. “I have not been in the medical meeting yet. I know he was getting an MRI. I’ll get the results here in another hour, and then we’ll talk through with Chris what we need to do, whether we need to bring in another kicker, how extensive is the injury.”