Ex-Chiefs kicker Morten Andersen had a funny reaction to Cowboys’ extra-point troubles

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Most football fans probably didn’t know the name of the Dallas Cowboys kicker before Monday night’s wild-card game.

But Brett Maher made a name for himself for all the wrong reasons in the Cowboys’ 31-14 win over the Buccaneers. Maher missed four extra-point attempts before finally making a fifth try.

Maher was the first kicker to miss three extra-point tries in the first half of a game (regular season or playoffs) since Tom Dempsey on Dec. 4, 1976, Opta Sports said. Maher then missed a fourth attempt in the third quarter and made NFL history.

NFL Research said no kicker had missed four attempts in a playoff or regular-season game in league history since the statistic was first tracked in 1932.

Sports fans soon began making comparisons to Chuck Knoblauch and Rick Ankiel, who both mysteriously developed trouble throwing a baseball. That’s known as the yips, and maybe explained Maher’s troubles.

Merriam-Webster “helpfully” tweeted a definition of the yips during the Cowboys game.

Hall of Famer Morten Andersen, who kicked in the NFL for 25 seasons, was watching the game and Maher’s struggles. Andersen twice led the NFL in extra-points, and both seasons were with the Chiefs (2002-03).

The 62-year-old Andersen jokingly asked on Twitter: “Are the Cowboys hiring?”

Someone told former Chiefs and Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes he could probably get a job with the Cowboys if he wanted.

Tynes’ response was hilarious (unless you’re a Cowboys fan).

Tynes later gave the Twitter version of a Bronx cheer when Maher made his fifth extra-point attempt in the fourth quarter.

To his credit, Maher spoke with reporters after the game.

“Super happy for the team,” Maher said, per the Associated Press. “It was a big win for us. Definitely didn’t do my part tonight. This team is too good moving forward for me to have to do that. Just get back at it this week.”