Patriots K Nick Folk unfazed by Buffalo’s weather conditions ahead of Wild Card matchup

Nick Folk produced another career season in 2021, and the 37-year-old Patriots kicker isn’t done yet.

Ahead of Saturday’s Wild Card playoff game in Buffalo, Folk said he hopes to continue playing beyond this season.

“I’d love to keep playing,” Folk said Thursday. “I feel pretty good where I’m at right now. I’ve been kicking well with Jake (Bailey) and Joe (Cardona), so I’d love to keep playing. But I think the biggest focus is just on Buffalo. I haven’t really given it too much thought. I know I’d love to keep playing, but I’ve really been trying to focus on this game and then kind of go from there.”

The Patriots would be smart to keep Folk, who will become an unrestricted free agent after the season, around. The kicker, who joined the team in 2019, has been one of their most reliable players over the last two seasons. And on a special teams unit that has collectively struggled this season, Folk has been its biggest bright spot.

Folk hasn’t missed a field goal inside of 50 yards since Week 1 of the 2020 season, a streak of 55 consecutive makes in the regular season. The next one, which would come next season, would match the NFL record of 56 set by Ryan Succop. He’s missed just three field goals this season, though he’s missed five extra points.

Folk has been the Patriots’ unsung hero this season. And on Saturday night in Buffalo, he could be the difference maker amid rough weather conditions.

The forecast calls for temperatures in the single digits, a below-zero wind chill and a slight chance of precipitation. It’s certainly different from the rough conditions he dealt with a month ago in Orchard Park — when he drilled two field goals facing 50 mph wind gusts — but it will still be challenging. The ball doesn’t move as well in the extreme cold, Folk explained, because air molecules don’t move freely inside the ball.

But there isn’t much Folk hasn’t seen in his 14-year career, which also includes seven years in New York. For Folk, the preparation done pregame won’t be too challenging.

“We kind of get a pretty good feel for what’s going on,” Folk said. “We have our routine, our game plan going into the game or going into pregame to figure it out. I don’t think it’ll be too much of a difference. You’ll get a feel for it pretty quickly. It’s pretty different than last time. Last time was a lot of wind, this time it’s super cold, so a little bit different, but we’ll be ready to go.”

Folk has a good track record when it comes to kicking at Highmark Stadium, where the weather can be tricky to deal with, as shown this season. He’s 16-for-20 on field goals in his career in Buffalo, including making each of his last seven kicks there. He’s very familiar with the stadium, and seemingly unfazed by what he could face Saturday night.

“I think a lot of it is just the weather of the day, really,” Folk said. “We’ve played there, I’ve played there, there’s a prevailing wind which you kind of get, which was a little bit of what we had last time, kind of down the field. But there can be days where it’s swirling and days where it’s really calm. My first game ever up there was a Monday night game in ’07 and there was no wind at all. So, it just depends on the day. We’re getting into January football, so kind of expect it to be cold and windy.”

Folk said that when he first started kicking in high school, he remembers watching Adam Vinatieri’s game-winning playoff kicks as something of an introduction to his new role, and he dreamed of one day coming through in the clutch, too. He kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired to beat the Colts in the 2010 playoffs, but he’s only played in three playoff games since.

If called upon Saturday, he’s more than ready for his opportunity, no matter the situation.

“I think it’s any kicker’s dream to have a big kick in a big game, so any time you get a chance to go out there and make a kick, that’s a big one,” Folk said. “It doesn’t really matter the time of the game. End of the game, you kind of get to put a cherry on top. I’m just excited to get out there and play with these guys.”