NASHVILLE, Tenn. – For veteran kicker Matthew Wright, part of his routine is visualization and creating stress even on routine practice kicks.
It’s a method he uses to build self-generated pressure, a way of conditioning his body and mind for the actual high stakes of a game.
Recommended Videos
As the replacement for an injured Ka’imi Fairbairn, the journeyman kicker’s job is to fill in and make every field goal and extra point.
“When I’m in a new team, I kind of treat every kick as high-pressure as possible,” Wright said. “I want to make every kick. So, yeah, just putting myself in those pressure situations all week so that way hopefully on that kind of stuff they go in.”
And Wright’s strategy worked out Sunday as he nailed a game-winning field goal from 35 yards as time expired in a 16-13 road victory to sweep the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium.
“It was huge for Matt to step in and make that kick for us,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “He’s been great for us since he’s been here the past two weeks. We needed him most to close the game out. He did an outstanding job.”
Signed to the 53-man roster a week ago from the practice squad when it became known that Fairbairn would need more time to heal up from a right quadriceps injury, Wright made three field goals Sunday.
“He’s cold,” Texans wide receiver Nico Collins said. “He’s got ice in his veins.”
Wright connected from 35, 43 and 41 yards with one extra point after making all of his kicks the previous week against the Jacksonville Jaguars in a comeback win.
“It feels good,” said Wright, who’s on his fourth team of the season. “Anytime the ball goes through the uprights, I’m happy and then anytime I can help a team win, it’s awesome. There’s pressure for every kick. Try to make sure each kick feels just as important as the next, but obviously game winners have a little bit more on it.
In his job as a replacement kicker, Wright typically know when the next telephone call is coming, signaling another airplane flight and another NFL opportunity to ply his trade.
He doesn’t have a full-time, permanent job. So, Wright stays constantly ready for the next opportunity as a free agent. It’s akin to being a substitute teacher or being given short-term work assignments by a temp agency.
He joined the Texans when Fairbairn injured his quadriceps while making five field goals against the Denver Broncos.
And quarterback Davis Mills set Wright up for the game-deciding kick with his clutch throw to Collins to convert a crucial third down followed by a Dalton Schultz catch and runs from rookie Woody Marks.
“It’s great for him, and it’s exciting,” Mills said. “He’s doing his job, and everyone gets to celebrate.
How Wright compartmentalizes the uncertainty of stayed prepared for the next assignment and wondering when that chance might come is instructive. It’s a portrait of extreme focus and patience.
“I try to treat each week as If I’m gonna play no matter what, if I’m at home on my couch or if I’m here,” Wright said. “So, yeah, just trying to stay mentally ready, stay kicking, always be ready.”
A native of Lancaster, Pennsylvania who played collegiately at Central Florida, Wright, 29, has kicked for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions, Jaguars, once making a game-winning kick for them in 2021 in an overseas game in England, Kansas City Chiefs, Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans, Washington Commanders and now the Texans.
Last year, he was with four different teams. This marks his fourth different NFL city this year.
How does he handle the stress of being thrown into a new kicking operation in terms of long snapper, holder, coach on such short notice?
“Obviously, the first couple of times, it’s real nerve-wracking,” Wright said. “You don’t know exactly what to expect. You realize it’s kind of the same thing: stay focused on my job. My job is just to kick the ball. There’s a pro snapper, pro holder. Just focus on what I can do. The only thing is just the timing and then getting the lean on the ball.
“They’re both pros, so it’s usually pretty seamless. It doesn’t really matter who I’m playing. Just focusing on snap, hold, kick, making my kicks.”
Wright has made 60 of 68 career kicks and 45 of 47 extra points. His longest field goal is 59 yards.
He made his only field goal try this season for the Commanders and both extra points.
How tough is it to kick on short notice with so much on the line?
“Me personally, I think, yeah, heck, that’s a lot of pressure,” Texans special teams coordinator Frank Ross said. “But kudos to him. That’s part of the charm and the draw about Matt was he’s stepped in as a pinch hitter. That’s what he has made his mark to this point in his career. For him, what another opportunity.
“Come out here and hopefully kick us through a divisional win. Him coming in here and just having that calm and that consistency, that’s led him to being able to not to wig out and just being used to, ‘Hey, I do my job consistently daily, whether I’m on the team or off the team.’ When the lights are on, it doesn’t change for him. I’m excited to see if he can do that for us.”
Fairbairn, 31, a former Lou Groza award winner at UCLA, has made 22 of 25 field goals this season for an 88 percent success rate. He missed a 51-yard attempt wide right Sunday. He has made 12 of 12 extra points. His longest field goal this season is from 57 yards. .
Wrigh tried out for the Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans and Arizona Cardinals this fall.
“He’s done an outstanding job,” Ross said. “Really everywhere a kicker who hasn’t landed a full-time job has been, you’re looking for familiarity. So, my first resource was Tommy Townsend. So, I brought Tommy up to the office: ‘What do you know about Matt?
“That makes ourselves more familiar to get up and running with an operation on a short notice. So, excited to have Matt here.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com