Daniel Carlson is one of the best NFL kickers in the league and he proved it in a major way this past season – breaking a record for the most field goals made from 50+ yards out in a single season. He finished the year 11 of 13 from that far out and hit at least one in 9 of the 16 games he played in.
He attempted two field goals from 50+ yards out on three occasions, going 2 for 2 in Week 5 against the Chiefs, 2 for 2 in Week 11 against the Broncos, and 1 for 2 in Week 13 against the Chargers. His longest of the season was 57 yards, which he did twice – Week 11 vs. the Broncos and Week 17 vs. the 49ers.
Carlson has established himself as one of the most accurate kickers in the game today and is now 24 of 29 from 50+ yards out in his career – he went 6 of 7 from that range in 2021 and 4 of 4 from that range in 2020. Keep in mind, he also led all NFL kickers in 2021 in field goals attempted (43) and made (40).
21 NFL Kickers Had at Least 4 Field Goals of 50+ Yards
Believe it or not, there were seven NFL kickers that had an opportunity to break the record for most 50+ yard field goals in a single season in 2022 – meaning they had at least 11 attempts from that far out. While three of them came close with 9 made field goals from that range, only Carlson had more than 10.
Taking a look at the league as a whole, 35 NFL kickers attempted at least one 50+ yard field goal and 33 of them made at least one. There were a total of 224 field goal attempts and 154 field goals made from 50+ yards out. NFL kickers had their fair share of opportunity from deep and made roughly 69% of them.
Making a 50+ yard field goal isn’t easy, especially when weather complicates things or the pressure is high. And, while Daniel Carlson led all NFL kickers in that category, it’s worth noting that there were 20 other NFL kickers with at least four made field goals from 50+ yards in 2022. Let’s see who they are!
20. Nick Folk – 4 of 5
Nick Folk just completed his 15th season in the NFL and fourth season as the New England Patriots’ starting kicker. He made 4 of his 5 field goals from 50+ yards – 80% of his attempts from that distance. He hit a 50-yarder in Week 3, 52-yarder in Week 8, 51-yarder in Week 14, and 54-yarder in Week 15.
Taking a look at his career, Folk is now 36 of 58 from 50+ yards out – hitting at least one every single season. He hit a career-high 5 field goals from that distance last season, but wasn’t as accurate (missing three total in 2021). His career-long is 56 yards, which he hit during the 2010 season with the Jets.
19. Cairo Santos – 4 of 5
Cairo Santos just completed his 9th season in the NFL and third season as the Chicago Bears’ starting kicker. He made 21 of his 23 field goals and 27 of his 32 extra points – totaling 90 points on the season. He made 4 of his 5 field goals from 50+ yards out and 6 of his 7 field goals between 40-49 yards out.
A majority of his 50-yard field goals came in the first half of the season. He hit a 50-yard field goal in Week 3 vs. the Texans, a 50-yard and 51-yard field goal in Week 5 vs. the Vikings, and a 50-yard field goal in Week 7 vs. the Patriots. He’s now 14 of 27 from that distance and his longest was 55 yards.
18. Will Lutz – 4 of 6
Will Lutz just completed his sixth season in the NFL and sixth season as the New Orleans Saints’ starting kicker. He made just 23 of his 31 field goals – including 4 of 6 from 50+ yards out and 4 of 8 from 40-49 yards out. He’s now 17 of 29 from 50+ yards out, with his longest being 60 yards during the 2022 season.
Lutz hit a 51-yard field goal in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons, a 60-yard field goal in Week 4 against the Minnesota Vikings, a 56-yard field goal in Week 5 against the Seattle Seahawks, and a 54-yard field goal in Week 17 against the Philadelphia Eagles. His two misses came in Week 4 and Week 18.
17. Joey Slye – 4 of 6
Joey Slye just completed his fourth season in the NFL and his first full season as the Washington Commanders’ starting kicker. He made 25 of his 30 field goals in 2022 – including 4 of 6 from 50+ yards out and 8 of 10 between 40-49 yards. His longest was 58 yards, which set a new career-high for him.
Slye hit a 50-yard field goal in Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans, a 58-yard and 55-yard field goal against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 10, and a 51-yard field goal against the New York Giants in Week 15. His two misses from that distance came in Week 13 (Giants) and Week 18 (Cowboys).
16. Cade York – 4 of 7
Cade York was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft and just completed his rookie year – so being on this list is quite impressive. He made 24 of his 32 field goals in 2022, including 4 of 7 from 50+ yards out and 6 of 8 from 40-49 yards out. His longest was 58 yards.
York made a 58-yard field goal in his debut in Week 1 vs. the Panthers, a 51-yard field goal vs. the Patriots in Week 6, a 55-yard field goal vs. the Bengals in Week 8, and a 51-yard field goal vs. the Buccaneers in Week 12. His three misses from that far out came in Week 5, Week 7, and Week 8.
15. Greg Joseph – 4 of 10
Greg Joseph just completed his fourth season in the NFL and second season as the Minnesota Vikings’ starting kicker. He made 26 of his 33 field goals – six of those misses coming from 50+ yards out. He finished the year 4 of 10 from that far out and 7 of 8 from 40-49 yards. His longest was from 61 yards out.
Joseph made a 56-yard field goal in Week 1, but struggles ensued as he missed his next five field goals from 50+ yards out – two in Week 3, two in Week 5, and another in Week 8. Things got better later in the season, going 3 of 4 in the final six weeks – including a game-winning 61-yard field on Christmas Eve.
14. Evan McPherson – 5 of 5
Evan McPherson just completed his second season in the NFL after being drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 5th round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He was incredible as a rookie, hitting 9 of his 11 field goals from 50+ yards out and followed that up with a perfect 5 of 5 from that distance in 2022.
A majority of McPherson’s long field goals came in the first half of the season – hitting a 59-yard field goal in Week 1, a 50-yard field goal in Week 2, a 57-yard field goal in Week 4, and a 52-yard field goal in Week 6. His final long field goal came in Week 11. He’s now 14 of 16 from 50+ yards out in his career.
13. Jake Elliott – 5 of 6
Jake Elliott just completed his sixth season in the NFL, all of which have been spent with the Philadelphia Eagles after being drafted by the team in 2017. He was just 6 of 14 from beyond 50 yards between 2018 and 2020, but made 3 of his 3 field goals from that distance in 2021 and 5 of 6 in 2022.
Elliott made a 51-yard field goal in Week 6, a 54-yard field goal in Week 12, a 56-yard field goal in Week 17, and a 54-yard and 52-yard field goal in Week 18. His one miss on the season came from 54 yards out in Week 9. He’s now 19 of 29 from 50+ yards out in his career as his percentage continues to increase.
12. Matt Prater – 5 of 6
Matt Prater just completed his 16th season in the NFL and second season as the Arizona Cardinals’ starting kicker. He currently holds the record for most career field goals from 50+ yards out – he’s 71 of 95 in his career, including 5 of 6 during the 2022 season. His career-long is from 64 yards out in 2013.
Prater didn’t attempt a field goal from that far out until Week 14, but ended up missing a 50-yard field goal on the opening drive. Things picked up for Prater in Week 15, hitting a 50-yarder and 55-yarder, and Week 16, hitting a 56-yarder and 53-yarder. He followed that up with a 57-yard field goal in Week 17.
11. Jason Myers – 6 of 6
Jason Myers just completed his eighth season in the NFL and fourth season as the Seattle Seahawks’ starting kicker. After only hitting 3 of 5 from 50+ yards out in 2021, Myers had himself a perfect season from that distance in 2022, hitting all six of his field goal attempts. He’s now 29 of 43 in his career.
Myers made a 56-yard field goal in Week 4, a 56-yard field goal in Week 5, a 50-yard field goal in Week 7, a 51-yard field goal in Week 8, a 55-yard field goal in Week 10, and a 51-yard field goal in Week 15. He also hit a 56-yard field goal in his lone playoff game, technically finishing the year 7 of 7 from long range.
10. Ka’imi Fairbairn – 6 of 6
Ka’imi Fairbairn just completed his sixth season in the NFL – all of which with the Houston Texans after being signed as an undrafted free agent in 2017. Ironically, he has attempted six field goals from 50+ yards out in each of the past five years, but 2022 was the first time in his career he went 6 for 6.
Fairbairn made a 50-yard and 51-yard field goal in Week 5 against the Jaguars, a 55-yard field goal in Week 7 against the Raiders, a 50-yard and 54-yard field goal in Week 14 against the Cowboys, and a season-high 56-yard field goal in Week 17 against the Jaguars. His all-time career-high was a 61-yarder.
9. Greg Zuerlein – 6 of 11
Greg Zuerlein just completed his 11th season in the NFL and first season as the New York Jets’ starting kicker. He has struggled from long range in recent years, only making 5 of his 14 field goals from beyond 50 yards in 2020 and 2021. While he hit six of them in 2022, he also missed five – finishing 6 for 11.
Zuerlein made a 57-yard field goal in Week 2, a 50-yard and 52-yard field goal in Week 3, a 53-yard field goal in Week 9, a 57-yard field goal in Week 12, and a 60-yard field goal in Week 13. He had misses from long range in Week 6, Week 12, Week 15, Week 17, and Week 18. His all-time career-high was 61 yards.
8. Chris Boswell – 7 of 9
Chris Boswell just completed his eighth season in the NFL – all of which with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has been consistently good for the team over his career, but had one of his worst showings in 2022 – finishing 20 of 28 with field goals. The good news is he was money from long range – finishing 7 of 9.
Boswell made a 53-yard field goal in Week 1, a 52-yard field goal in Week 2, a 59-yard and 51-yard field goal in Week 4, a 55-yard field goal in Week 6, a 50-yard field goal in Week 15, and a 51-yard field goal in Week 17 – his two misses came in Week 1 and Week 16. His 59-yarder in Week 4 tied a career-high.
7. Matt Gay – 7 of 9
Matt Gay just completed his fourth season in the NFL and third season as the starting kicker for the Los Angeles Rams. He made 5 of 6 field goals from beyond 50 yards in his first two seasons with the Rams and followed that up with an impressive 7 of 9 from 50+ yards in 2022. He’s now 17 of 23 in his career.
Gay made a 57-yard field goal in Week 1, a 58-yard field goal in Week 11, a 54-yard field goal in Week 13, a 55-yard field goal in Week 14, a 55-yard field goal in Week 15, and a 55-yard and 53-yard field goal in Week 16 – he hit at least one 50+ yard field goal in 4 straight games. His 58-yarder tied a career-high.
6. Younghoe Koo – 7 of 11
Younghoe Koo just completed his fifth season in the NFL and fourth season as the starting kicker for the Atlanta Falcons. He was money from beyond 50 yards in his first three seasons with the Falcons, making 13 of his 14 attempts. And while he took a dip in 2022, he was still impressive, making 7 of 11 from deep.
Koo made a 54-yard and 50-yard field goal in Week 1, a 54-yard field goal in Week 3, a 53-yard field goal in Week 12, a 50-yard and 51-yard field goal in Week 14, and a 51-yard field goal in Week 18. He had misses from that range in Week 1, Week 5, Week 9, and Week 13. His career-high is from 54 yards out.
5. Graham Gano – 8 of 9
Graham Gano just completed his 13th season in the league and third season as the starting kicker for the New York Giants. He has been consistently good from 50+ yards over the past four seasons, making 23 of his 29 attempts from that range – including an impressive 8 of 9 during the 2022 season.
Gano had an impressive stretch early in the year where he made a 52-yard and 56-yard field goal in Week 2 and two 51-yard field goals in Week 3 – he was 4 of 4 through the first three games. He also had a 57-yard field goal in Week 12, two 50-yard field goals in Week 15, and a 55-yard field goal in Week 16.
4. Brandon McManus – 8 of 13
Brandon McManus just completed his ninth season in the NFL – all of which with the Denver Broncos. He has gotten a lot of reps from outside of 50 yards over the past three seasons, but doesn’t always connect on them consistently. Since 2020, he is just 23 of 37 from that range – including 8 of 13 in 2022.
McManus made a 50-yard field in Week 2, a 55-yard field goal in Week 3, a 51-yard field goal in Week 6, a 52-yard field goal in Week 11, a 52-yard and 50-yard field goal in Week 13, a 52-yard field goal in Week 15, and a 54-yard field goal in Week 16. His career-high was a 61-yard field goal, which he hit in 2021.
3. Brett Maher – 9 of 11
Brett Maher just completed his fourth season in the NFL and third season as the starting kicker for the Dallas Cowboys (second stint). He was just 4 of 9 from 50+ yards out between 2019 and 2021, but was money from that range in 2022 – he made 9 of his 11 attempts, including an incredible 60-yarder.
Maher made a 51-yard field goal in Week 1, a 54-yard and 50-yard (game-winning) field goal in Week 2, a 53-yard field goal in Week 4, a 53-yard, 60-yard, and 50-yard field goal in Week 10, and a 53-yard field goal in Week 13 and 14. He’s the only kicker on this list to make three 50+ yard field goals in the same game.
2. Chase McLaughlin – 9 of 12
Chase McLaughlin just completed his fourth season in the NFL and first season as starting kicker for the Indianapolis Colts – he has already played on six teams in his career. He had his best season yet, hitting 30 of 36 field goals and 9 of 12 from beyond 50 yards – he is now 17 of 21 from that range in his career.
McLaughlin made a 51-yard field goal in Week 2, a 52-yard and 51-yard field goal in Week 5, a 50-yard field goal in Week 7, a 51-yard field goal in Week 11, a 51-yard field goal in Week 12, a 52-yard field goal in Week 13, a 52-yard field goal in Week 15, and a 54-yard field goal in Week 14. He made one in four consecutive games.
1. Justin Tucker – 9 of 14
Justin Tucker just completed his 11th season in the NFL – all of which with the Baltimore Ravens. He led the league in both field goal makes and attempts in 2022 as he continues to prove he’s one of the all-time greats. He also led the league in attempts from 50+ yards out (14) in 2022, but only made nine of them.
Tucker made a 51-yard field goal in Week 2, a 56-yard field goal in Week 3, a 51-yard field goal in Week 4, a 58-yard field goal in Week 5, a 55-yard field goal in Week 7, a 55-yard field goal in Week 12, a 53-yard field goal in Week 15, a 51-yard field goal in Week 17, and a 51-yard field goal in Week 18.
Which NFL Kickers Have the Most Career Field Goals of 50+ Yards?
Daniel Carlson broke the record for most field goals made from 50+ yards in a single season, but do you know who held that record before him? It used to be 10 made field goals and was shared by three NFL kickers – Blair Walsh did it in 2012, Justin Tucker did it in 2016, and Brandon McManus did it in 2020.
With that said, no one has hit more field goals from 50+ yards in their career than Matt Prater. He hit 5 of 6 this past season for the Arizona Cardinals and now has 71 career field goals made from that far out (in 95 attempts). He has hit 75% of them throughout his 16-year career, but his career might be ending soon.
Doing some ‘quick maths,’ Carlson is averaging 4.8 made field goals from 50+ yards per season (24 in five years). If he can keep that up for the next 10+ years, he’ll have a shot at passing Prater’s all-time record (he’s averaging 4.4 field goals made from 50+ yards in 16 seasons). All we can do is wait and see.
Dallas Cowboys’ Kicker Brett Maher Misses 4 PATs in One Game — Here Are 15 Other NFL Kickers Struggling With PATs
Dallas Cowboys’ kicker Brett Maher became one of the latest NFL kickers to struggle with their PATs. It all started during the team’s Week 18 regular season finale vs. the Washington Commanders. Not only did he not get a shot at a field goal, but he missed his only point after touchdown (PAT) attempt of the day.
His bad luck continued in the team’s first playoff game vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round. The Cowboys’ offense was electric, scoring four touchdowns in the first 35 minutes of play. Unfortunately for Maher, he missed all four PATs. He finished the game 1 of 5 with no field goal attempts.
In fact, the team was purposely going for it on fourth down to avoid him kicking a field goal. And it even continued in their second playoff game – a loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round – with Maher missing his only extra point attempt of the day. He went 1 of 7 during that horrific 3-game stretch.
Other NFL Kickers Who Struggle With PAT Attempts
NFL kickers have struggled with their PATs in recent years, which was expected when the league made a new rule that pushed the PAT from the 2-yard line to the 15-yard line. The new rule took effect in 2015 – a kick that used to be 20 yards away was suddenly 33 yards away, making it less of a guarantee for most.
The rule made quite the difference for NFL kickers. Between 2000 and 2014, NFL kickers were making anywhere between 98.1% and 99.6% of their extra points. Since 2015, those season averages have dipped between 93.0% (2020) and 94.6% (2022) – that’s a difference of 5% all from one rule change.
And while the 94.6% average for NFL kickers in 2022 was the highest since 2014, only 13 NFL kickers had an average above that – the other 13 (including Maher) fell below that mark. And while it doesn’t sound like much, there were 16 NFL kickers (including Maher) to finish with at least two PAT misses.
Let’s meet who those NFL kickers were – starting with a kicker who made 96.2% of his PATs and ending with the league-worst 84.4% (according to Pro Football Reference, at least 25 PATs attempted).
16. Jake Elliott – 96.2%
Jake Elliott was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 5th Round (No. 153 overall) in 2017, but never played for the team. Instead, he has spent the past six seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. While he led the league in extra points attempted and made, he was also one of the 16 to miss two of them.
Elliott finished the 2022 season making 51 of his 53 extra points. His first miss came in a Week 4 victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars – he went 2 of 3. His second miss came in a Week 12 victory against the Green Bay Packers. Over his seven-year career in the NFL, he has made 226 of his 237 extra points.
15. Tyler Bass – 96.0%
Tyler Bass was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the 6th Round (No. 188 overall) in 2020 and just completed his third season with the team. After making 57 of 59 extra points as a rookie, he followed that up with a perfect 51 of 51 last season. Unfortunately, that streak came to an end during his 2022 campaign.
Bass ended up making 48 of his 50 extra point attempts in 2022. His first miss came in a Week 12 victory against the Detroit Lions – he went 2 of 3 that day. His second miss came in a Week 16 victory against the Chicago Bears – he went 3 of 4. After 49 career games, he has made 156 of his 160 extra points.
14. Mason Crosby – 94.9%
Mason Crosby was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the 6th Round (No. 193 overall) in 2007 and has spent the past 16 years with them. Between 2007 and 2014, Crosby hit 401 of his 405 extra points. And while he hit 36 of 36 during the 2015 season, his percentages started dipping in 2016 and beyond.
In 2022, Crosby made 37 of his 39 extra points. His first miss came in a Week 11 loss to the Tennessee Titans – he went 0 for 1 that day. His second miss came the following week in a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles – he went 3 of 4 that day. Over his 16-year career, he has made 733 of his 753 extra points.
13. Cade York – 94.6%
Cade York was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the 4th Round (No. 124 overall) in the 2022 NFL Draft and just finished his first season in the league. He played extremely well all year long, but he was one of the 16 NFL kickers to miss at least two extra point attempts. Luckily, they came early and he corrected it.
In 2022, York made 35 of his 37 extra point attempts. His first miss came in a Week 2 loss to the New York Jets – he went 3 of 4 on the day. His second miss came the following week – Week 3 – in a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers – he went 2 of 3. Don’t worry, he made his next 26 extra point attempts.
12. Brett Maher – 94.3%
Brett Maher went undrafted in 2013 and has bounced around the league – as well as the CFL – ever since. He made his NFL debut with the Dallas Cowboys during the 2018 season and spent the following year with the team before spending half of 2021 with the Saints. He rejoined Dallas for the 2022 season.
In 2022, Maher made 50 of his 53 extra point attempts – his 53 attempts was tied for the most in the NFL with Jake Elliott (PHI). His first miss came in Week 4 when he went 1 of 2, while his second miss came in Week 13 when he went 6 of 7. His third miss came in Week 18 before missing five more in the playoffs.
11. Younghoe Koo – 94.3%
Younghoe Koo went undrafted in 2017, but signed with the Los Angeles Chargers as a free agent. He only played in four games with the team in 2017 before signing with the Atlanta Falcons – where he has spent the past four seasons. He made 78 of his 82 extra point attempts in his first three years in Atlanta.
Koo made 33 of his 35 extra point attempts in 2022 after making all 30 of them the year prior. Both of his misses in 2022 came in a Week 10 loss to the Carolina Panthers – he finished the game 0 for 2. The good news is he was money in the 16 other games he appeared in (except Week 16, he had 0 attempts).
10. Graham Gano – 94.1%
Graham Gano went undrafted in 2009 and, while he signed with the Ravens as a free agent, he was cut before the season started. After a brief stint in the UFL, he made his NFL debut with the Washington Commanders and then spent seven seasons in Carolina before landing with the New York Giants in 2020.
In 2022, his third season with the Giants, Gano made 32 of his 34 extra points. Like Younghoe Koo, both of Gano’s misses came in the same game – a Week 11 loss to the Detroit Lions. He was perfect in the other 16 games he played in, including a perfect 5 of 5 in the Giants’ two playoff games not long ago.
9. Eddy Pineiro – 93.8%
Eddy Pineiro went undrafted in 2018, but was quickly signed by the Oakland Raiders as a free agent. While he never actually played for the team, he was eventually signed by the Chicago Bears to replace their kicker. He didn’t play in 2020, but played 5 games in 2021 with the Jets before signing with Carolina.
Pineiro played in all 17 games for the Panthers in 2022, hitting 30 of his 32 extra point attempts. His first miss came in a Week 8 loss to the Atlanta Falcons – he went 2 of 3. His second miss came two weeks later vs. the same opponent – he went 1 of 2 against Atlanta in Week 10. He’s now 66 of 71 in his career.
8. Jason Sanders – 93.2%
Jason Sanders was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the 7th Round (No. 229 overall) in 2018 and just finished his fifth season as the team’s starting kicker. In his first four years, Sanders was money with his extra points – hitting 134 of his 137 attempts in that span. Unfortunately, he was caught slippin’ in 2022.
Sanders had a career-high 44 extra point attempts in 2022, but only hit 41 of them – doesn’t sound too bad, but he has never missed more than one extra point in the same season until now. His first miss came in a Week 4 loss to the Bengals (0 for 1), while his next two losses came in Week 10 (3 for 5).
7. Harrison Butker – 92.7%
Harrison Butker was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the 7th Round (No. 233 overall) in 2017, but was sent to the practice squad and eventually picked up by the Kansas City Chiefs – where he has played the past six seasons. He led the league in extra points made and attempted (65 of 69) in 2018.
In 2022, Butker made 38 of his 41 attempts – three misses is bad, but not as bad as 2020 when he finished 48 of 54. His first miss in 2022 came in Week 9 after missing most of the first half of the season. He missed another one in Week 10 and a third one in Week 15, but is 5 of 5 in the playoffs thus far.
6. Brandon McManus – 92.6%
Brandon McManus went undrafted in 2014 and signed with the Indianapolis Colts as a free agent before playing four preseason games with the New York Giants. He was then traded to the Denver Broncos and spent most of the 2014 season as their starting kicker – he has been their starting kicker ever since.
In 2022, McManus made 25 of his 27 extra point attempts and had one of the worst seasons of his career when it comes to field goals (28 of 36). His first miss came in Week 4, going 2 of 3 against the Raiders, and his second miss came in Week 7, going 0 for 1 against the Jets. He’s now 277 of 286 in his career.
5. Nick Folk – 91.4%
Nick Folk was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the 6th Round (No. 178 overall) in 2007 and spent the next three seasons with the team before signing with the Jets. He spent seven years in New York and one season with the Buccaneers in 2017 before joining the Patriots, where he has been for four seasons.
In 2022, Folk made 32 of his 35 extra point attempts. He was a perfect 28 of 28 through the first 14 games of the season, but went 0 for 2 in Week 16 against the Bengals (the Pats lost by 4) and missed another one the following week. He has made just 104 of his 115 extra points over the past three years.
4. Evan McPherson – 90.9%
Evan McPherson was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 5th Round (No. 149 overall) in 2021 and had himself an impressive rookie season last year – finishing 28 of 33 with field goals and 46 of 48 from extra points. He was also 14 of 14 with field goals in the playoffs, including 6 of 6 with extra points.
McPherson took a bit of a step back in 2022, hitting just 40 of his 44 extra point attempts and 24 of his 29 field goals. His first extra point miss came in a three-point loss to the Steelers in Week 1. He missed another one in Week 8, another one in Week 14, and one in Week 16. He was also 6 of 7 in the playoffs.
3. Greg Joseph – 87.0%
Greg Joseph went undrafted in 2018 and, while he was signed by the Miami Dolphins as a free agent, he didn’t make the final roster cut. Instead, he signed with the Cleveland Browns and replaced their kicker, who was struggling at the time. He spent 2019 with the Titans before signing with the Vikings in 2021.
In his second season with the Vikings, Joseph made just 40 of his 46 extra point attempts – this comes after hitting 36 of 40 the previous year. He missed an extra point in six games this season – Week 4, Week 6, Week 8, Week 10, Week 12, and Week 18. You just can’t be missing six in a single season.
2. Joey Slye – 85.7%
Joey Slye went undrafted in 2018 – just like Eddy Pineiro and Greg Joseph – and struggled to find a roster spot until the Panthers gave him a shot in 2019. He quickly became the team’s starter, but was ousted by the team early last season and ended up spending the 2021 campaign with three teams.
He played well with the Washington Commanders in six games last year, earning him the starting role in 2022. He went 24 of 28 with his extra points this year, which isn’t good enough – the team already isn’t scoring a lot of touchdowns, so they need all the points they can get. He’s now 106 of 121 in his career.
1. Cairo Santos – 84.4%
Cairo Santos went undrafted in 2014, but it didn’t take long for him to find a home with the Kansas City Chiefs. He spent three full seasons as the team’s starting kicker, but started bouncing around the league in 2017 – he played for five teams between 2017 and 2019 before signing with the Bears in 2020.
In 2022, his third season with the Bears, Santos made just 27 of his 32 extra point attempts – though he was solid with field goals, going 21 of 23. It was an uncharacteristic season for him after hitting 63 of his 65 extra point attempts in his first two seasons in Chicago. He’s now 251 of 264 in his nine-year career.
Who Are the Most Reliable NFL Kickers With PATs?
It’s no secret that NFL kickers are often haunted by what used to be a chip-in, easy PAT attempt, but that doesn’t mean all kickers are struggling with it. In fact, there were three NFL kickers – Will Lutz (Saints), Michael Badgley (Bears/Lions), and Randy Bullock (Titans) – to make 100% of their PATs in 2022.
Lutz made all 33 of his, Badgley made all 33 of his, and Bullock made all 28 of his. There were 10 other NFL kickers to only miss one extra point, headlined by Robbie Gould (49ers) at 98.0%, Jason Myers (Dolphins) at 97.6%, Riley Patterson (Jaguars) at 97.3%, and Daniel Carlson (Raiders) at 97.2%.
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Since extra points are guaranteed anymore, having a reliable kicker is more important than ever before. Not only do they need to hit their field goals consistently, but they need to limit their misses after touchdowns – it could be the difference between 6 points and 7 points, or worse, a win and a loss.
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