Through the first quarter of the 2015 season, NFL place-kickers have converted 94 percent of extra points under the league's new PAT rule, which moved the PAT line of scrimmage from the 2-yard line to the 15. That's precisely the rate most everyone projected based on recent history from the 33-yard range.

And through Week 3, at least, those kickers were hitting 84.9 percent of all field goal attempts -- almost identical to the league's rate in 2014 (84.7) and better than 2013 (82.4) during the same span.

So exactly how much hysteria is warranted after a rough Week 4 that has included 14 missed field goals and four missed extra points, with the Monday night game left to play?

From a historical sense, what we've seen is not alarming. You don't have to go back far to find a week where the NFL saw more missed field goals. In fact, it was Week 15 of 2014, according to the Elias Sports Bureau -- six weeks in NFL terms.

It's true that late-season weather usually lowers kicking percentages, as it probably did in that Week 15. But perspective is important. In Week 2 of the 2013 season -- just two years ago! -- NFL place-kickers also missed 14 field goals. So that number of missed kicks in the good-weather part of the season is hardly unprecedented, even in the context of the massive improvement in kicking in recent years.

If there was anything alarming in Week 4's micro-trend, it was the number of errant kicks under 40 yards. In the past two-plus seasons -- 2013, 2014 and the first three weeks of 2015 -- NFL place-kickers converted 80.6 percent of such attempts. In Week 4, however, they have hit only 15 of 22 attempts (68.2 percent) from under 40 yards. (For a weighted analysis of Week 4 by distance of attempt, check out this post from Rich Hill of Pats Pulpit.)

Still, part of what is going on here is that the new PAT rule has changed perceptions. Seeing 18 missed kicks of any type -- especially when a few of them significantly impacted the game's outcome -- was jarring. It has been four years, according to Elias, since we've seen as many as 18 missed kicks in one week's worth of play.

That happened in Week 10 of 2011, when there were 20 missed kicks. That's a lifetime ago for a modern fan. I get that.

I also wouldn't disregard the concerns expressed by kicking experts. Most notably, semiretired place-kicker Jay Feely tweeted that the new PAT rule has robbed specialists of in-game practice, leaving them feeling more pressured and more apt to buckle on field goals. No one can deny there is a vital element of confidence involved in successful place-kicking, which Feely would know as well as anyone.

But this seems to be a moment when we should all take a deep breath. Amid the hysteria, let's not forget that Baltimore Ravens place-kicker Justin Tucker drilled a game-winning 52-yard field goal in windy conditions Thursday night. And the Chicago Bears' Robbie Gould hit a 54-yard field goal on a gloomy day at Soldier Field and then won the game on a 49-yard attempt. Sometimes we forget the good when obsessing over the bad.

Perhaps Week 4 opened the door to a massive set of unintended consequences. Maybe the NFL's place-kickers are melting under the pressure of 13 extra yards. Or, just as likely, it has simply been a bad week. In either event, it seems a little early to panic.