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Usually, we are all about the touchdowns and how they influence the NFL and historical stats. However, since 2021, we want to think a little about the field goals. You see, in 2021 we saw Justin Tucker set a new record.
Tucker’s new record has influenced the NFL as a whole, the NFL odds will change in this coming season, and you know that, every time a field goal comes up, the hardcore fans and bettors will be gritting their teeth.
But we would be remiss to say that Tucker was the first to get such an impressive field goal!
Sure, he might be the best kicker the league has ever seen. He has broken the record and his record is 2 yards longer than the previous record. But he is certainly not the only one to get the ball a record distance!
#1. 2021: Justin Tucker (Ravens) – 66 Yards!
Tucker scored the longest kick ever seen in NFL history, and it was a successful record may we add. His kick sealed the Ravens victory over the Lions in September 2021. The team had a measly 3 seconds left on the clock, they were a single point down to the Lions, and everything looked bleak.
Tucker had made 49 field goals by this time, and he was not about to let Coach down yet. He scored a 66-yarder, sure, it needed a bounce off the crossbar to go through the sticks, but it was still a score, and it was still 66 yards!
It was quite the score and one it will take some time to beat!
#2. 2013: Matt Prater (Broncos) – 64 Yards!
Prater now plays with the Cardinals, but once upon a time he was with the Broncos. He had a 64 yard attempt in 2013 that is considered to be the 2nd farthest field goal to succeed in the NFL’s history.
He played it hard on the very brink of half time in some very chilly conditions before his team mobbed him. This 64 yard strike, absolutely galvanized the team, and the Broncos went on to win against the Tennessee Titans 51-28 that day!
#3. 1970: Tom Dempsey (Saints) – 63 Yards!
Many of the best kickers have been fairly recent, in the last 30 years, but Dempsey was a kicker in the year of the NFL-AFL merger that made football what it is today.
Dempsey also had a uniqueness to him. Many other kickers use a technique that is quite similar to the technique used in ‘soccer’, he used a style with a ‘straight-toe’.
Tom Dempsey was actually born without any toes on his right foot, and his shoe was modified and flattened with an enlarged surface by the ‘toe’. When this happened, Rechichar had a 56 yard record, but Dempsey obliterated that with his 63 yards.
While Dempsey is no longer around to know how awesome we think he was, his kick will never be forgotten! It was truly a moment of wonder. Not only did he get one of the farthest kicks in history, but he did it without any toes on his right foot!
#4. 1998: Jason Elam (Broncos) – 63 Yards!
The Broncos have had some awesome kickers. One of these kickers was Jason Elam, his efforts sit on par with Dempsey.
He was introduced to the roster of the Broncos in the 3rd round of the draft in 1993, and five years after this he made one hell of a mark when he kicked an incredible 63 yard goal. The team was playing against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the kick definitely made a difference in the end result of the game.
Elam ended up going wild when his kick soared over the goal post, his effort was on par with Dempsey, but we have to give Dempsey 3rd place and Elam 4th.
#5. 2011: Sebastian Janikowski (Raiders) – 63 Yards!
The Raiders have the record for the 5th longest kick in the history of the NFL thanks to Janikowski. He was entered into the record books in ‘09 when he converted a 61-yarder against the Browns. But, 2 years after his first try, he converted another.
He claimed it only just made it over the bar, but he is definitely in the top 10, considering he has 2 kicks over 60 yards long to his name. It could be a very long time before another kicker is able to live up to the likes of Janikowsky and his 2 over-60-yard-kicks.
