Nick Folk’s Atlanta Falcons debut did not go the way the veteran kicker or the team wanted. In Week 1 of the 2026 NFL regular season, Folk missed as many kicks as he had during the two previous seasons combined, a striking early setback for a player who is usually expected to provide stability.
The numbers make the comparison even sharper. During the two previous seasons combined, Folk missed fewer kicks than he did in his first game with the Atlanta Falcons. For a kicker, that kind of debut stands out immediately because every miss directly affects field position, scoring chances and late-game decisions.
How Week 1 looked across the league
Folk’s rough opener came during a Week 1 slate that saw kickers facing a different kind of environment than in the previous season. In Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season, kickers attempted 70 field goals from an average distance of 40.91 yards and converted 85.7 percent of them. In Week 1 of the 2026 NFL campaign, 28 kickers attempted 58 field goals from an average distance of 42.24 yards and converted 84.5 percent.
That is a slight drop in conversion rate, and the average attempt distance was a little longer in 2026. Even so, the broader picture was not one of kicking problems across the league. Offenses were shattering scoring expectations with a seemingly endless parade of touchdowns, which helped explain why the focus around the kicking game could still zoom in on a handful of misses.
Why Folk’s start matters
For Nick Folk, the issue is not that one bad day automatically changes his outlook. It is that veteran kickers are often judged on how quickly they settle into a rhythm, and Week 1 offered no such cushion. A 59-yard field goal remains a difficult ask in any season, and every miss carries more weight when a team is counting on a reliable leg.
The Falcons brought Folk in for steadiness, and his debut instead produced an uneven result. There is still a long season ahead, but this first impression was the kind that gets noticed fast. In a role where a small number of misses can shape wins and losses, Nick Folk and the Atlanta Falcons will be looking for a much cleaner next step.
