It's the opportunities like the one he got Saturday night that Washington Redskins kicker Kai Forbath lives for.
With the clock winding down, the game once again hung on the right foot of the Redskins' kicker. For the third time this season, four quarters of hard-fought football came down to one man, one ball and one set of uprights.
Already this season, Forbath has converted on decisive kicks against the Tennessee Titans and Dallas Cowboys. In Week 7 against the Titans, he converted from 22-yards away as the clock expired. On *Monday Night Football *a week later, it was his 40-yard go-ahead field goal in overtime that gave the Redskins the win.
On Saturday against the Eagles, when head coach Jay Gruden called upon Forbath to give the Redskins the lead with 10-seconds remaining, the kicker looked back to his earlier game-winners for confidence.
"[I'm] kind of getting used to it as much as you can," Forbath said. "But I just tell myself, 'Go out there, swing easy and hopefully get it in.' So that's what I did."
As the ice water ran through his veins on a cold December night at FedExField, Forbath lined up dead-center on the uprights from 26-yards away. The snap from Nick Sundberg was solid, the hold from punter Tress Way was sound and the kick from the UCLA-product was true.
Redskins win.
"That's what I do this for, moments like that," Forbath said after the game. "It's a lot of fun. I score points when I can for the team, but those chances you get to win for them, that's what really makes it special."
This season, the third-year kicker is 23-for-26 (88.4 percent) on field goals and 9-for-11 (81.8 percent) at home. On kicks of 39-yards or less at FedExField, he is a perfect 8-for-8.
When the Redskins defeated the Cowboys in Week 8, Forbath was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week by converting on both field-goal attempts, including the eventual game-winner. The week prior against Tennessee, he finished a perfect 4-for-4 on field goal attempts and made his lone extra-point try.
While he's been clutch already this season, Forbath said that being able to put a smile back on his teammates' faces made this kick that much sweeter.
"I kind of forgot what it felt like to get one at the end of a season like this when you've been having quite a bit of a losing streak," he said. "It just feels great. I haven't seen guys smile and laugh like this in here in a long time. [I'm] just glad that I could help in getting those smiles."
At FedExField this season, there's been a bit of an anomaly. While Forbath has found success, opposing kickers haven't fared as well.
On Saturday night, Eagles kicker Cody Parkey went just 1-for-3 on field goals. Two weeks ago when the Redskins welcomed the St. Louis Rams to FedExField, Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein also went 1-for-3 on field goal attempts and made just one of his two extra-point tries.
With their final game of the season to be played at FedExField next Sunday against the Cowboys, Forbath said that there might be some sort of home field advantage happening in Landover, Md.
"It sure seems like that, huh?" he said. "They've struggled here a little bit. I guess it's just doing it more here. I've kicked here for three years now. I guess it's a little advantage."
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-- Griffin III: Eagles Game 'A Great Team Win'
-- Jackson Comes Up Big Vs. Former Team
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