Washington Commanders kicker Zane Gonzalez drew attention for the odd behavior he displayed prior to his game-winning kick on Sunday, but those who have followed his career probably understood what was going on.
Gonzalez converted a 37-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Commanders to a 23-20 NFC Wild Card win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. His pre-kick routine was just as eventful as the kick itself, which hit the right upright and went in.
Before Gonzalez ran onto the field, he was seen repeatedly taking off his cleat to adjust his socks, fixing his hair, adjusting his helmet and more. NBC play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico joked that it was “not the time for a fashion malfunction.”
Commanders kicker Zane Gonzalez is open about his struggle with OCD—which was on display in Sunday's game.
Many joke about his ticks, but he harnesses them in his routine.
After focusing, Gonzalez kicked Washington to its first playoff win in 20 years.pic.twitter.com/rQvBAtwFhH— Front Office Sports (@FOS) January 13, 2025
Gonzalez was not experiencing a fashion malfunction, as Tirico said. The 29-year-old kicker has been very open in the past about his struggles with obsessive-compulsive disorder, which is better known as OCD. Gonzalez was honest about the condition leading up to the NFL Draft in 2017.
“It makes you a perfectionist and more detail oriented,” Gonzalez told ESPN a few months after he was drafted by the Cleveland Browns. “Off the field, it’s a pain in the butt.”
Gonzalez said at the time that it helped to keep his pre-kick routine simple. The routine looked a bit complicated on Sunday, though that may have had something to do with the stakes.
Zane Gonzalez adjusting his hair feels kinda like golfers with a repetitive waggle pic.twitter.com/bIw7cOJATF
— CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) January 13, 2025
Gonzalez converted all three of his field goals and both extra points in Washington’s win over the Bucs. Whatever he has been doing, the team will probably encourage him to continue with it when they travel to Detroit to take on the Lions in the Divisional Round on Saturday night.
