While there were several things that went right for the New England Patriots in Week 2, there were also things that went wrong.
One of those was the performance from rookie kicker Andy Borregales. Borregales missed three kicks total (two extra points, one field goal), leading ESPN's Mike Reiss to question his job security.
"How secure is rookie kicker Andy Borregales' job? Borregales was the first kicker selected in the 2025 draft in the sixth round (No. 182), and he has had a rocky start," Reiss wrote for ESPN's weekly NFL takeaways. " ... He later made field goals from 22 and 53 yards and a PAT, but was penalized late in the fourth quarter for a kickoff not making it to the landing zone."
New England drafted Borregales in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft and he headed into training camp in a battle for the starting job with Parker Romo. Borregales ultimately won the job and Romo was released.
The Patriots may be regretting that decision after the first two weeks of the season. Borregales has missed four kicks, while Romo promptly nailed six kicks Sunday, including 5-for-5 on field goal attempts for the Atlanta Falcons.
Despite his struggles Sunday's game, head coach Mike Vrabel awarded Borregales with a game ball, citing the confidence he had in his rookie kicker.
""I had no doubt in my mind. I had no reservation about sending you out there to kick that field goal, okay? I didn't... You made a huge kick," Vrabel said via a post on X from the Patriots team account.
The leash for kickers in the NFL is seemingly getting shorter and shorter, so the next couple of weeks will be important for Borregales. A couple of solid performances should secure his spot for quite a while.
A bad performance in Week 3, though, could turn up the heat on the first kicker drafted last season and leave Vrabel and the Patriots searching for the right man to hold down the kicker position for the remainder of the season.
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