NFL World Reacts To Encouraging Brett Maher Report

Dallas Cowboys kicker Brett Maher has suddenly found himself the most scrutinized player in the NFL this week.

After Maher missed four consecutive extra points during the Cowboys' win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday, fans around the league have wondered whether he would keep his job and, if so, how he might fare during Sunday's divisional showdown with the San Francisco 49ers.

While there's certainly no manufacturing the type of pressure that Maher will face on Sunday during the week, the early returns seem to be positive.

According to Michael Gehlken, who covers the Cowboys for the Dallas Morning News, Maher made all six of his field goal attempts during the open portion of the team's Thursday practice — despite the fact that he was kicking outdoors amid roughly 20-mile-per-hour winds

"Cowboys kicker Brett Maher was locked in today during period of practice open to reporters," Gehlken tweeted. "Kicking outdoors and in approximate 20 mph wind, Maher was 6-for-6."

According to Gehlken, Tristan Vizcaino, whom the Cowboys signed this week as an insurance policy of sorts in case Maher's struggles continued, made three of five tries.

Gehlken's report, combined with head coach Mike McCarthy saying earlier this week that the Cowboys plan to stick with Maher, suggests that he will serve as the team's kicker once again on Sunday.

Quite a few Cowboys fans seemed encouraged by the news on social media and are expecting Maher to return to his regular-season form against the 49ers. Maher was one of the more reliable kickers in the league for most of the season, making 29 of 32 field goal attempts and 50 of 53 extra points prior to Monday.

"Like I said I'm behind Brett Maher," one fan tweeted, "he had a bad game it happens! He back putting in work!"

"Brett (gonna) be huge for us against the 49ers!" wrote another.

A few others, however, predicted that making kicks during practice will have no bearing on Maher's performance when he takes the field under pressure in San Francisco.

"Irrelevant really," Jean-Jacques Taylor wrote. "Ain't no pressure like playoff pressure. Better than missing them but we all know nothing matter until he takes first kick in SF and makes it."

"This means nothing," another fan tweeted.

Time will tell whether or not Maher has overcome the case of the "yips" that caught up with him on Monday.

All signs at least point to him taking the field Sunday and getting a chance to redeem himself.