The Dallas Cowboys got off to a great start in the NFL playoffs.
Well, everyone except Brett Maher.
The Cowboys kicker missed a record-setting four extra point attempts in Dallas' 31-14 wild card game win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.
Maher had the NFL playoff record for missed PATs by halftime, as he missed all three of his attempts in the first half. No kicker had ever missed at least three PATs in a playoff game before then.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
The three first-half misses matched how many PATs Maher failed to convert over the course of the entire regular season. He actually entered the postseason coming off a missed PAT on his lone try in Week 18 against the Washington Commanders.
After Maher's third miss on Monday, Dak Prescott was captured throwing his helmet in frustration and appearing to yell that the Cowboys should have gone for two instead.
SportsWrap
The top sports headlines of the day
Head coach Mike McCarthy didn't take Prescott's advice in the second half, though.
After Michael Gallup caught a two-yard touchdown pass from Prescott in the third quarter, McCarthy sent out Maher for the extra point. And the 33-year-old kicker did not reward his head coach for showing confidence in him.
Maher became the first kicker in NFL history -- regular season or postseason -- to miss four PATs in a game.
Despite that, McCarthy gave Maher another shot at redemption following Prescott's 18-yard touchdown pass to CeeDee Lamb early in the fourth quarter. This time, however, he came through.
Maher's rough night didn't come back to bite the Cowboys, who cruised past Tom Brady and the Bucs.
But does Dallas need to find a new kicker ahead of a divisional round showdown with the San Francisco 49ers?
