The Indianapolis Colts will continue to ride with kicker Adam Vinatieri despite continuing struggles this season.
"Adam is our kicker," coach Frank Reich said Wednesday, per Stephen Holder of The Athletic. "Chris (Ballard) and I have talked about the situation. Obviously, there have been other kickers in here... When you take a look, we believe Adam is the answer."
The Colts reportedly worked out kickers Tuesday but decided to stick with Vinatieri.
The 46-year-old has been a wreck this season, missing 11 attempts, most in the NFL. Vinatieri is 14 of 19 on field-goal attempts and 14 of 20 on extra-point tries. His 71.8 kick percent (FG and PATs) is lowest in the NFL (min. 10 kicks), per NFL Research.
The veteran kicker's woes have cost the 5-4 Colts several chances to stack victories. In Week 1, Vinatieri missed two field goals and an extra point in a six-point loss to the Chargers. In Week 9, he botched a field goal and an extra point in a two-point loss in Pittsburgh. In Week 10, his missed extra point led to the Colts trailing by four points late, needing a touchdown instead of a potential game-tying field goal late to possibly send the game to overtime against Miami.
All nine of Indy's games have been decided by one possession, underscoring the magnitude of Vinatieri's miscues. A kicker with virtually any other name would have been replaced by this point. The Colts, however, will give the benefit of the doubt to their previously trusty veteran once again.
