The new standard in the NFL: the long field goal

In September, Brandon Aubrey of the Dallas Cowboys made a 65-yard field goal, the second-highest in NFL history. It wasn’t luck: This season, Aubrey made 10 field goals of 50 yards or more. Twenty years ago, the Cowboys hadn’t made a single one all season (they only attempted two).

This demonstrates that the long field goal, once rare, is now the norm.

After 10 weeks of play, 153 field goals of at least 50 yards have been attempted, compared to just 58 for the same period in 2004. The frequency of shorter field goals is about the same.

How is this explained? The kickers are better than before.

They are more regular. The success percentage for kicks under 40 yards increased from 89% in 2004 to 97% this year.

Kickers have improved their accuracy across the board, but the biggest improvement has been on long field goals, at distances that a generation ago were only attempted out of desperation.

Kicks of 50 meters or more are now successful in around 75% of cases, almost twice as many as in 1984.

But why are kickers better?

Michael Husted, who played in the NFL for nine seasons and now runs a kicking academy, says he developed his technique through trial and error. It wasn’t until 1993, when he entered the league, that he had access to game videos and tried to assimilate the technique of great kickers like Morten Andersen, who played 25 seasons and made seven Pro Bowls ( Andersen’s success rate on long clearances was 48%, which would be below the championship average today).

Husted says that by the time he left the league, the way he hit was “completely different.” He used his entire body to generate power, not just his legs. However, this increased power contributes greatly to accuracy.

Previously, attempts from distance often fell in front of the posts. Since the start of the year, only three 50-yard attempts have been too short.

The pool of young kickers is larger, which Husted attributes to a certain specialization: previously, young people played several sports and only trained as kickers during football season. Today, they train all year round.

All of this has led teams to change their approach to long baskets: can they be attempted, and at what point in the game?

Previously, a 55-yard field goal was only attempted near halftime or at the end of the game. Of the 12 attempts in the 2004 season, 10 took place with less than two minutes remaining before halftime or the end, when the risk of failure was minimal. This season, after 10 weeks, there had already been 52 attempts of 55 yards or more, including 37 before the two-minute notice.

The current record of 66 yards is held by Justin Tucker (as of 2021), and it is unclear how much kickers can continue to improve.

Already, their improvement has some saying that the league should reduce the gap between positions to make placement more difficult.

Meanwhile, the number of long attempts continues to increase. The record for attempts of 50 yards or more was broken in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 (even taking into account the addition of a 17^e match in 2021). If the pace continues this year, the record should be broken two weeks before the end of the season.

This article was published in the New York Times.

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