Bengals officially have a kicker problem after Evan McPherson melts down vs. Chargers

It appears as though the Cincinnati Bengals officially have a kicker problem. Evan McPherson, once dubbed "Money Mac" for his clutch kicking, has had his struggles all season, and those struggles came to a head in Week 11 on Sunday Night Football against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Evan McPherson missed two clutch kicks in loss to Chargers

In the fourth quarter of the contest, McPherson missed not one, but two, go-head field goal attempts that could have potentially helped Cincinnati secure a victory. The first missed kick was a 48-yard attempt that came with 7:35 remaining in the final frame.

The second kick came a few minutes later and was from a distance of 51 yards. He pulled both kicks wide left.

Obviously the missed kicks weren't the only reason that the Bengals lost the game, but they certainly didn't help the cause, and unfortunately that's become a bit of a trend for McPherson this season, as he has now missed a kick in four different one-score losses this season.

On the season as a whole, McPherson has converted only 71.4 percent of his field goal attempts (15 of 21), which represents a career low. In fact, he's never posted a conversion rate below 82 percent over the course of a campaign prior to this season.

It will be tough for Cincinnati's coaching staff -- or fans -- to feel too confident in McPherson in big moments moving forward, which is unfortunate, because he was really reliable for a while there. But at this point, fans are frustrated with him, and it seems like his own teammates are too.

“He knows to make those kicks,” star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase said of McPherson after the game. “That's why we paid him those bucks, to make those kicks in crunch time.”

At this late point in the season, it would likely be difficult for the Bengals to find a reliable replacement for McPherson, so he's likely to remain in his role as the team's kicker for the remainder of the current campaign, but it's fair to wonder if his days in Cincinnati are numbered long-term.