Double Doink
The Double Doink was a game-ending field goal attempt by Chicago Bears kicker Cody Parkey in the National Football League (NFL)'s 2018 NFC Wild Card game. Parkey's failed 43-yard field goal attempt against the Philadelphia Eagles was partially blocked by Eagles defensive lineman Treyvon Hester, hit the left upright, then bounced off the crossbar, and finally fell back out onto the goal line finishing on the 3-yard line. The sixth-seeded, defending Super Bowl champion Eagles won the game over the third-seeded Bears, 16–15, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois, and advanced to the Divisional Round of the playoffs.[3][4]
Philadelphia Eagles (6)
(9–7)
The term "doink" has been used to refer to the percussive sound or thump that a football makes when striking a goal post.[5] The term "double doink" took hold due to NBC commentator Cris Collinsworth. He said on the NBC broadcast during the replay, "The Bears' season's gonna end on a double doink." That miss ended up being referred to as "The Double Doink." A frame-by-frame replay later revealed that the kick was actually tipped by Hester, and the NFL officially ruled the play a block.
The Bears, the NFC North Division champions, saw their season end with a 12–4 record. It was Parkey's 11th miss of the season, and his sixth kick attempt of the season (including two extra points and four field goals) to hit an upright.[6] He was released by the Bears two months later. The Eagles lost the following week to the top-seeded New Orleans Saints in the NFC Divisional playoffs.
Game summary[edit]
First half[edit]
The Eagles started off the game with a good drive, including passes to Wendell Smallwood and Zach Ertz of 22 and 17-yards, respectively. However, the drive stalled after a Leonard Floyd sack forced Philadelphia to settle for a 44-yard field goal, taking the lead, 3–0. After an exchange of punts, Eagles quarterback Nick Foles launched a 40-yard pass to former Bear Alshon Jeffery. However, the drive was cut short when Roquan Smith picked off Foles at Chicago's 35-yard line. The Bears drove down the field and kicked a field goal to tie the game 3–3. The Eagles put together another strong drive, featuring 28-yard pass to Golden Tate. However, this drive was also stopped when Foles' pass was intercepted by Adrian Amos in the end zone. After punts by both teams, Chicago put together a 13 play, 78-yard drive that resulted in a 29-yard Cody Parkey field goal to give the Bears a 6–3 halftime lead.
Second half[edit]
The Eagles finally found some success on offense in the second half, capping an 83-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Foles to tight end Dallas Goedert. After punts by both teams, Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky completed a 45-yard pass to Allen Robinson, which set up a 34-yard field goal by Parkey, cutting the Eagles' lead to 10–9. In Chicago's following drive, Trubisky completed passes of 19 and 34-yards to Taylor Gabriel and Joshua Bellamy, respectively. He finished off the drive with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Robinson to make the score 15–10. The Bears attempted a two-point conversion, but failed. After another exchange of punts, the Eagles drove all the way down to Chicago's 2-yard line. After two runs by Darren Sproles for no gain and an incomplete pass, Philadelphia faced a 4th and goal 1:01 left in the fourth quarter, and Foles found Tate in the endzone for the touchdown. The Eagles went for two but failed. On the Bears' next drive, Trubisky completed passes of 25 and 8 yards, both to Robinson, and spiked the ball with 0:10 left in the game.[8]
Aftermath[edit]
The following day, the NFL officially declared the kick attempt a block.[16] After a frame-by-frame replay, Eagles defensive lineman Treyvon Hester's finger was visibly knocked back as the ball brushed his finger.[17]
Five days after the miss, Parkey discussed it with the anchors on NBC's Today show. The appearance had not been cleared by the Bears front office, and Parkey was criticized by local sportswriters, fans and head coach Matt Nagy, who said in a press conference the following Monday: "We always talk about a 'we' and not a 'me' thing, and we always talk as a team, we win as a team, we lose as a team. I didn't necessarily think [the Today appearance] was too much of a 'we' thing."[18][19]
On February 22, 2019, it was reported that Parkey would be released despite a $3.5 million guaranteed contract for 2019. He was officially released on March 13.[20] His departure sparked a dramatized "kicker competition" for the Bears, who ultimately selected Eddy Piñeiro.[21][22] Parkey moved on to play for the Tennessee Titans, the Cleveland Browns, and the New Orleans Saints.
The Eagles lost their next game against the New Orleans Saints, 20–14, after being shut out in the final three quarters.[23]
Members of the 2018–19 St. Louis Blues NHL team watched the game at the Jacks NYB bar in South Philadelphia, where they heard the Laura Branigan song "Gloria" and adopted it as their unofficial victory theme. The Blues went on a winning streak, which led them to making the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals and winning their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.[24]
Bill Swerski's Super Fans spoofed the play in a sketch created for the opening game of the 2019 season between the Bears and the Green Bay Packers. In the scene, a teddy bear purported to be sold in Green Bay said "double doink" when squeezed.[25] A follow-up scene revealed that the teddy bears were created by former Packers quarterback Brett Favre, who joyfully points out that it also comes with its own goalpost showing the ball hitting the upright.
A second "double doink" at Soldier Field occurred during Sunday Night Football on December 22, 2019, kicked by Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, in the same north end zone, on an extra point attempt. This time, the ball hit both uprights and not the crossbar.[26]
A third "double doink" occurred during a 2022 NFL International Series game between the New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings, kicked by Saints kicker Wil Lutz in an attempt to tie the game. After successfully kicking a career record 60-yard field goal that game, Lutz attempted a 61-yard field goal. Lutz's attempt, like Parkey's, bounced off the left upright and the crossbar. The Saints lost the game 28–25 in part because of that missed field goal.[27]