Holistic Athlete Weekly Newsletter

Dramatic Finish to NFL Season

One of the most thrilling NFL seasons in history came to a dramatic conclusion last night as a field goal attempt with no time remaining determined whether the Ravens or Steelers (longtime rivals) would win their division and host a playoff game this coming weekend, and which team’s season would end. Tyler Loop, a rookie place kicker who was a perfect 29/29 on kicks inside of 50 yards this season, pushed the attempt wide right.

The 2 point win for the Steelers marked an astonishing 9th NFL primetime nationally televised game where the outcome was determined on the last play since December! The last several weeks of the NFL season creates high stakes and huge spotlights as multi-billion dollar organizations compete for an opportunity to win a championship; this shines a light on the execution or failure of mental performance skills in the biggest moments sports has to offer.

As he lined up for the kick, the commentator Mike Tirico did an incredible job of setting up the moment for the viewers to have added context. Loop was a rookie who was replacing a Hall of Fame kicker who had been with the Ravens for 13 years prior to this season. Tirico says as Loop went through his pre-kick process with the season on the line, “They went around the country and spoke to a lot of kickers… and they decided that Tyler Loop was made of the ‘right stuff’ for moments like this. He now has a chance to win the division for the Ravens.”

“Made of the right kind of stuff” presumably meant someone who can mentally handle this moment. Throughout sports, there are athletes who are synonymous with performing well in big moments. Tom Brady, David Ortiz, Derek Jeter, Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant — the legends. The heroes. In those high-pressure moments where seasons, championships, and legacies are on the line, those great athletes would likely have two significant similarities:

1) They WANT that moment. They crave it. It’s what they play for. Thinking about basic psychology of motivation and performance, we’ll almost always do something we want to do better than something we have to do. What’s challenging for coaches and executives who are trying to field a team of players made of the “right stuff” for big moments is it’s nearly impossible for an athlete to know for sure how they’ll feel in those moments until they’re in it. A rookie kicker attempting a kick from a distance he’s made 100% of the time in the season to that point, getting a chance to be the hero, make the kick, have his teammates storm the field and celebrate with him — is that a desirable opportunity? Or does the fear of failure and letting down teammates, coaches, fans, and the organization outweigh the excitement?

2) They are painstakingly, entirely process-oriented. Feeling excited and allowing the significance of a big moment in a game help generate productive thoughts and emotions is great, but ultimately, the “situation” is largely external. The score, the moment, what will happen if we win/lose, others’ opinions about the performance, etc. are all irrelevant to the execution of the skill needed to complete the task at hand. Clutch players don’t necessarily need to elevate their game to match a big moment — they just need to not be adversely affected by the pressure and execute their technique and decision making however they normally would. For Tyler Loop, having made all 29 kicks from that distance so far this season, there was nothing out of the ordinary or “special” that was required of him.

When the Process Fails

Hopefully as you’re reading another newsletter about a football kicker missing a field goal attempt, you can derive the lessons that can be applied to other sports. One of those lessons that we just discussed is the importance of being process-oriented in big moments. However, after missing the kick last night, Tyler Loop would say that his process was entirely correct — but the outcome wasn’t. Check out his comments after the game:

His bewilderment about executing his process but still making what he would call a physical skill mistake (poor contact with the point of the ball he attempted to hit) is valid, and likely extremely upsetting. It’s a reminder that while mental performance skills are a part of performance, especially in pressure-filled situations, it doesn’t 100% determine the outcome. Following a routine, taking deep breaths, visualizing the desired outcome — Loop had it all in place. But we can’t control everything. All the work we do, the routines we create and follow, the skills we practice and try to execute — it all gives us a better chance at success. Increases the likelihood of getting the result we want. But it’ll never guarantee it; that’s not how sports or life works.

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