The answer was that it was part of his OCD diagnosis, and he’s brought awareness to the disorder simply through that moment. He spoke about it in the week leading up to the Commanders’ next playoff game against the Detroit Lions, where we may see Gonzalez prepare in the same way before taking the field.

National TV cameras picked up Gonzalez's pre-kick routine, which led to a mix of responses, and a response from his wife.

Zane Gonzalez, the kicker who hit the game-winning field goal in the wild-card round, has an unorthodox game day routine – but it has little to do with style.

Washington Commanders player Zane Gonzalez opened up about his OCD after fans wondered why he was pulling his hair and tapping his helmet just before kicking the game-winning field goal on Sunday, Jan.

ASHBURN, Va. – By the time Zane Gonzalez “doinked” the Washington Commanders into the NFC divisional round Sunday night, the journeyman kicker had already gone viral on social media. With NBC’s cameras trained on him as the climax of the 23-20 ...

The Washington Commanders pay off their opening possession with 3 points thanks to a 34-yard field goal from their kicker, Zane Gonzalez.

Gonzalez's 37-yard field goal propelled the Commanders past the Buccaneers and into the Divisional Round against the Lions.

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. Washington Commanders kicker Zane Gonzalez welcomes his viral moment as a chance to educate about OCD ...

Gonzalez, who has been in the league since 2017, was elevated to Washington's active roster in early December. Aside from being a postseason hero and helping Washington earn its first-ever playoff win since 2005, Gonzalez has also had to overcome obsessive-compulsive disorder, otherwise known as OCD.

They also made unexpected headlines for the way kicker Zane Gonzalez handled himself in the moments prior to his walk-off game-winning field goal, with the NBC broadcast and social media alike joking about Gonzalez's seemingly ritualistic adjustments of his hair,

Zane Gonzalez made the biggest kick of his career on Sunday night, doinking in the boot that gave Washington its first playoff victory since the 2005 season, but not before he went through his routine.

The Commanders started the game with a possession that took nearly half of the first quarter, but in the end, got only three points out of it.