Do Colts need to make a change at kicker after Michael Badgley misses PAT?

INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts may be facing a decision at the kicking position after Michael Badgley banged an extra point off the left upright early in Sunday’s 20-16 loss to the Texans, a miss that ended up looming large at the end of the game.

Indianapolis found itself chasing a four-point deficit instead of three on its final possession, forcing the Colts to try to convert a fourth-and-9 instead of kicking a 49-yard field goal to potentially tie the game.

Badgley took responsibility for the miss after the game, shucking off questions about how the miss happened.

Ultimately, Badgley’s a veteran kicker who knows the implications.

“I missed it,” Badgley said. “I’ve got to take advantage of the scoring opportunities, just make that one and give us the chance at the end to make another field goal and at least tie it up.”

Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen acknowledged the Colts are looking for more from the kicking position.

“I mean, I love Badge, but he knows he's got to make those kicks,” Steichen said, “so we have faith in whoever we put out there.”

Badgley has now missed three extra points since the Colts signed the 30-year-old kicker to take over for Spencer Shrader, who suffered a torn ACL and MCL after being hit in his kicking leg after an attempt against the Raiders early in the season.

Indianapolis tried out Badgley along with a group of seven other kickers -- Ramiz Ahmed, Matt Ammendola, Lucas Havrisik, Dustin Hopkins, Josh Lambo, Harrison Mevis and Matthew Wright -- then signed the veteran because of the team’s familiarity with him — he has two prior stints in Indianapolis — and because the Colts believed they could count on Badgley to make the short ones.

Badgley does not have the kind of leg strength that is common in today’s NFL. The veteran kicker made two field goals from 50 yards or more against Pittsburgh, but he left a 53-yard attempt short in Berlin the next week, a rarity in the modern NFL and a sign of his limited range. Badgley has made just 7 of 16 kicks of 50 yards or longer since entering the NFL in 2018.

Indianapolis signed Badgley anyway, believing that his accuracy inside the 50-yard line outweighed his lack of range. But three missed extra points in 21 attempts is glaring.

“Got to make your free throws,” Badgley said. “I’ve got to do my job.”

If the Colts decide to make a move at kicker, there are no easy options.

Indianapolis has been in this position since the moment Shrader went down. The Colts have not had a reliable kicker since age caught up to Adam Vinatieri in 2019, and after years of searching, it looked early this season like Shrader had grabbed hold of the job.

Then he got hit against the Raiders, throwing Indianapolis headlong into a world of kicking uncertainty with few reliable options out there.

But Badgley was supposed to be reliable inside the 50-yard line.

If he cannot make those kicks, a Colts team that has lost three of its last four is going to have to look for somebody else.

Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Michael Badgley misses third PAT of season for Colts