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Cowboys' Week 1 goat saved Week 2 — not to mention Mike McCarthy’s rear end

A little over a week ago, Greg Zuerlein put the Dallas Cowboys' season-opening loss on himself. That is the kind of responsibility elite-level kickers are supposed to take when they miss two relatively makable field goals and an extra point, miscues that played a big role in a 31-29 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the NFL’s nationally televised kickoff game.

There’s a flip side at the position. Elite-level kickers can make amends fast. And in the process, they can save their head coach a world of grief in a moment when he has mismanaged the end of a game.