What’s the NFL Record for the Longest Field Goal?

The NFL record for the longest field goal is held by Matt Prater, who kicked a 64-yard field goal for the Denver Broncos in 2013.

The History of the Longest Field Goal

The National Football League (NFL) is the professional American football league. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association and renamed the National Football League in 1922. The NFL grew to its current size of thirty-two teams, divided equally into two conferences—the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC).

In 1963, the NFL introduced a rule change that lengthened the distance of field goal attempts by seven yards, from fifty to fifty-seven yards. This change was made in an effort to increase scoring in the NFL. The league felt that by making field goals more difficult, teams would be encouraged to attempt more touchdown plays instead.

The longest field goal ever kicked in an NFL game was seventy-eight yards, achieved by Denver Broncos’ kicker Matt Prater in 2013. However, because the play occurred in overtime—each team is given one possession at the start of overtime—the field goal only resulted in a tie game. The longest field goal without overtime was sixty-six yards, kicked by New Orleans Saints’ kicker Garrett Hartley during the 2011 playoffs.

The Current Record Holder

The current record holder for the longest field goal in NFL history is Matt Prater of the Denver Broncos. Prater made a 64-yard field goal during a 2013 game against the Tennessee Titans.

The Chances of Breaking the Record

You’ve probably seen a few football games where the field goal kicker nails a 60-yarder, and it seems like it happens more often these days. With modern technology and training advances, today’s kickers are indeed better than ever before. So, what’s the longest field goal in NFL history?

The record is currently 64 yards, set by Matt Prater of the Denver Broncos in 2013. The kick came with just over 2 minutes remaining in the game, and helped seal a victory for the Broncos over their division rivals, the Tennessee Titans.

Interestingly, Prater’s kick wasn’t even the longest attempt in NFL history. That honor belongs to Tom Dempsey, who tried (and missed) a 63-yarder for the New Orleans Saints in 1970.

So, how often do these long field goals get made? In the last 5 years of NFL play, there have been 8 successful field goals from at least 60 yards out of 16 attempts (a 50% success rate). Not bad! But when you consider that most of these attempts are made in ideal conditions – sunny, no wind – it’s not surprising that the percentage is so high.

In general, though, kicking a field goal from long distance is still a pretty low percentage proposition. In 2018, NFL kickers made just 42% of their field goal attempts from 50 yards or more away from the goal posts.

So while we may see more 60-yard field goals in future seasons, don’t expect to see many (if any) kicks from beyond 65 yards. And if someone does make one from that distance, it will likely be considered one of the greatest achievements in NFL history.

The Record Holders of the Future

The National Football League (NFL) is the professional American football league. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association (APFA), with the league changing its name to National Football League in 1922. The NFL is one of the four major professional sports leagues in North America, and the highest professional level of American football in the world.

The NFL’s 17-week regular season runs from early September to late December, with each team playing 16 games and having one bye week. Following the conclusion of the regular season, six teams from each conference (four division winners and two wild card teams) advance to the playoffs, a single-elimination tournament culminating in the Super Bowl, which is usually held on the first Sunday in February and is played between the champions of the NFC and AFC.

In order to make sure that all field goal attempts are equal, officials measure from where an imaginary line is drawn between the two end posts (outside of which a missed field goal attempt results in a touchback). This line is 10 yards (9.1 m) from each end line. Therefore, if a team kicks a field goal from beyond this imaginary line that passes through both end posts and above the crossbar, it scores four points instead of three.

The longest field goal ever kicked in an NFL game was 64 yards (59 m), by Matt Prater of the Denver Broncos on December 8, 2013 against the Tennessee Titans. It was also tied for first place for longest field goals made indoors until January 1, 2014 when New Orleans Saints’ Shayne Graham kicked a 62-yarder against Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium during Week 17 of 2013 NFL season passing through both uprights and above crossbar without touching anything else. The second longest indoor kick was also made by Graham on December 19, 2005 while he was playing for Cincinnati Bengals against Detroit Lions at Ford Field; his kick fell just short as it hit
the crossbar.