Saints rookie hits game-winning field goal in win over Chiefs, gets mistaken for fan by stadium security

New Orleans Saints rookie kicker Blake Grupe had an interesting introduction into the NFL on Sunday night, which included hitting the game-winning field goal and being mistaken for a fan. 

Grupe, an undrafted special teams player out of Notre Dame, recalled his experience on social media and revealed that his status as a Saints’ player was questioned twice before and after Sunday’s preseason win over the Kansas City Chiefs. 

“Step 1: get questioned walking onto the field pregame for not having credentials,” Grupe said in a post on X.

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“Step 2: hit a game winner,” he continued, “Step 3: get stopped by security thinking I was a fan when trying to walk out the player exit.” 

The humbling experience capped off a big night for the rookie, who kicked a 31-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Saints to a 26-24 victory over the Chiefs. 

“This league is all about winning, so winning in the preseason is important and I am glad our guys were able to do that,” head coach Dennis Allen said in postgame remarks. “It was nice to see Grupe get a chance to get to kick in that situation and be able to knock it through.”

Grupe made a good first impression as he competes with NFL veteran Wil Lutz for the starting job. 

Lutz, 29, has been with the Saints since 2016. He boasts an 84.6 field goal percentage and has one Pro Bowl nod across six seasons. 

Grupe had a 73.7 field goal percentage last season but was 49 for 49 in extra-point attempts.