Rex Ryan’s Jets have sent someone into therapy.
Chargers kicker Nate Kaeding, who missed three field goals in January’s 17-14 playoff loss to the Jets, saw a psychiatrist this offseason to help get over the woeful performance.
“Keep the game in perspective,” Kaeding told SI.com of the message he took out of the meetings.
“Don’t make it bigger than it is. There’s going to be peaks and valleys, and just accept them.”
Kaeding missed wide left from 36 yards in a scoreless first quarter, came up short from 57 yards before halftime, and was wide right on a 40-yarder that would have cut the Jets lead to 17-10 in the fourth quarter.
“Mentally, I wasn’t able to flush that first kick,” Kaeding said. “As a kicker, you know you’re going to miss. What disappoints me is not being able to put that one behind me. The second one was a long prayer. No harm, no foul. But the third one, in a tight game, was inexcusable. I was completely blindsided by that. Shame on me for ever thinking I’ve got this game figured out. I just didn’t approach that kick right.”
Kaeding is the most accurate regular-season kicker by making 150 of 172 field-goal attempts (.872), but he’s 8 of 15 in postseason kicks, according to SI. That playoff mark includes a 40-yard overtime miss against the Jets in the 2004 wild-card game. The Jets also won that game.
Kaeding said he believes it will be difficult to know he will handle the pressure until he gets another chance in the playoffs.
“I can’t kick a playoff field goal in August, or October. … Quite honestly, it still bugs the crap out of me,” Kaeding said.

