Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker set an NFL field goal record on Sunday, nailing a 66-yard kick with just three seconds left on the clock, beating the Detroit Lions by a score of 19-17. The kick wasn’t pretty, with the football hitting the crossbar before bounced through the goal, but a win’s a win!
You can see the kick here, along with fans reactions when it happened. The previous record for the longest FG in NFL history, set by Matt Prater in 2013, was 64 yards.
Staring at a chance to win an NFL game from an unprecedented distance, Tucker made some adjustments to his normal routine, aiming to launch himself at the ball more aggressively — and from farther away — to add more power to his kick. He took an extra step or two back, he said.
“It’s something I’ve actually started doing within the last year,” Tucker said. “As I’m becoming more and more of a dinosaur in this league at 31 years old, I’ve got to do every little thing I can to get the ball to go just a little bit farther.”
Tucker also changed his footwork for the record distance.
DID THAT JUST HAPPEN?!?!
JUSTIN TUCKER 66-YARD FIELD GOAL FOR THE WIN! #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/LyHkSUiwk9
— NFL (@NFL) September 26, 2021
“Instead of landing on my plant foot, I just basically kick the ball off like it’s a kickoff, so I land on my kicking foot,” he said, adding that photos would likely make it seem like he was about to fall over due to his momentum.
During pregame practice, Tucker had missed field goals in both directions from 65 yards out, he said.
“Thankfully, we found an extra yard and a half that I didn’t have three hours before. And I’m grateful for that.”
Congrats to Justin Tucker on his new NFL field goal record. Something tells me this one won’t be broken anytime soon.
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