Chad Ryland’s failed kickoff set the stage for the Arizona Cardinals’ loss to the Seahawks. Head Coach Jonathan Gannon has a clear opinion on the matter.
Chad Ryland, the Arizona Cardinals’ kicker, was the unlucky one in the game against the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks’ game-winning field goal in Thursday Night Football was set up by a short kickoff from Ryland, who failed to get the ball into the end zone. This brought the ball to the 40-yard line for Seattle without taking any time off the clock. The field goal was then within easy reach. A 22-yard pass and a short 4-yard run were enough to put Jason Myers in a good position. The Seahawks kicker then scored the game-winning field goal.
In such cases, the blame is often placed on the kicker, but Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon wanted nothing to do with that. Instead, he publicly defended Ryland.
Head Coach Gannon Defends Ryland

When asked why the kick was so short, the head coach explained that Ryland wanted to avoid a touchback so that the Seahawks would have to take time off the clock.

“You have to keep the ball in play. That’s one of the things we talk about at the end of a game – with the number of timeouts remaining and the time left on the clock.” This is a typical strategy to run down the clock and take time away from the opponent. “Chad worked his ass off. The game doesn’t come down to one play. Collectively, we didn’t do enough to win the game,” said the coach.