The year 2021 was not kind to Jim Breech.
He lost his wife, Denise, to ovarian cancer Dec. 27. They share nine children and have more than 20 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Since late last year, he's battled COVID-19 with temperatures reaching 101 and night sweats.
He sat alone in his house Jan. 30 and watched a football sail through the uprights at Arrowhead Stadium. That it came from the kicker of his former employer, the Cincinnati Bengals, made him smile.
While still mourning his wife, Breech's 2022 so far has been helped along by Bengals postseason wins and the clutch right foot of Evan McPherson.