The Buffalo place kicker sustained a hip injury from the hit.
By Nick Wojton / Billswire.usatoday.com
Buffalo Bills kicker Stephen Hauschka was laid out by Henry Anderson two weeks ago, a defensive end for the New York Jets.
The hit was a blindside one and Anderson wasn’t penalized for bumping the kicker to the ground, who had just had his attempt blocked before halftime.
Despite the no penalty, Anderson was later fined approximately $10,000 for it and Hauschka never really discussed it. Since then, he’s been on the injury report though, listed with a hip injury.
Hauschka confirmed to the Buffalo News this week that the affects of the hit are still causing him pain, affecting the way he kicks the ball.
“I don’t know if [kickers] are athletes, but we’re fine-tuned performers and, yeah, a big contusion on my hip is going to affect that fine-tuning. I definitely notice it, I feel it, but I’m learning to play through it,” Hauschka said. “I’m going to be fine with it. It’s something that might not clear out until after the season. We’ll see.”
Hauschka didn’t want to make excuses, though. He said next time he’ll be ready.
“This is the norm for [other positions], so it’s just a little dose of what they deal with all the time. The other thing is, anytime you’re out there on the field, you’ve got to be, I guess, ready. Guys are getting paid to make hits, so anytime you’re out there, you can take a hit, I guess,” Hauschka said.
Since the incident, it appears the injury has affected Hauschka’s performance unfortunately. The same game, he missed a 54-yard attempt. Last week Hauschka suited up, but two times in his range, Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott opted to go for it when usually he’d send out his kicker.
Hauschka did make two extra points in the game for short range, but moving forward to Sunday’s meeting against the Patriots, the Bills won’t want to leave any points on the field. They’ll need Hauschka to block out the pain and dial in.