On the final snap of the first half of the Dallas-Las Vegas NFL preseason game on Saturday, Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey connected on a 66-yard field goal. Because it occurred in preseason play, Aubrey’s three-pointer won’t stand with the 66-yarder kicked by the Baltimore Ravens’ Justin Tucker on Sept. 26, 2021, as the longest field goal in NFL history.
But it did serve as another reminder of the growing range of NFL kickers. Since the New Orleans Saints’ Tom Dempsey made the first field goal of 60-or-more yards on Nov. 8, 1970, NFL kickers have made 36 more (while missing 144) in regular-season play. Ten of the 60-yard makes have come in the past two seasons.
Evan McPherson owns the two longest field goals in Cincinnati Bengals’ history at 58 and 59 yards, and the former Fort Payne High School standout is ready to go longer.
“I firmly believe now if we attempt a field goal on our side of the field, I feel like we’re expected to make it,” McPherson said on Monday. “And that’s not how it’s always been. Usually with the 50-plus yarders, you kind of go out there free will, and if you make it, you make it. If you don’t, nobody expected you to make it, so, not expected you to make it, but kind of brush it off.
“But now it’s kind of seeming like if it’s anything inside 65 yards, we’re almost expected to make it, and, I mean, rightfully so. I think everybody’s getting a lot better, and I think the range is going to keep going. … I hit like a 68-yarder training with a live operation in, like, July, so I don’t think that’s out of the question with perfect conditions.”
But while McPherson digs the long ball, he admires the clutch kick more.
“Adam Vinatieri, Morten Andersen, those two guys, I feel like, weren’t necessarily the longest, but they’re the most consistent,” McPherson said. “And I mean, with Justin, obviously, he’s the most consistent in NFL history. He just so happens to have the longest as well, so I think it’s coming through in the clutch in those big moments is probably what you’re remember for the most.”
It’s what the Bengals remembered when they signed McPherson to a three-year, $16.5 million contract extension last week even though he had one season remaining on the four-year, $3.824 million contract he signed after joining Cincinnati as the 149th selection in the 2021 NFL Draft.
McPherson has made 78-of-93 field-goal attempts and 126-of-132 extra-point tries in 49 regular-season games for Cincinnati. Last season, McPherson made all 59 of his kicks from inside 50 yards, with 19 field goals and 40 extra points.
“We’ve got a lot of trust in him,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said on Monday. “A lot of my gut as games come to a close, I’ve got tremendous faith in Evan. And as you can see from the moments we’ve relied on him to close out games for us or opportunities within games from long range, he’s got the leg, he’s got the confidence, he’s got the ability. And he’s only going to continue to get better and better. I truly believe his best days are ahead, even though we’ve already had some best days also.”
In seven playoff games, McPherson has never missed a field-goal attempt, including connecting on three from 50 yards or longer.
“We talk about it here, it’s like every point is important in the playoffs,” McPherson said. “No matter how you get it, you want to make sure you get every point possible. And so I feel like for the playoffs, maybe towards the couple last weeks of the regular season, you’re kind of worn down, tired, long season, but when playoffs come around, you get a new fire, I feel like. And so you’re excited for those games, and, I don’t know, it’s just a little bit of a different feeling for the playoffs because it’s win or go home. And so we’re out there just probably ultra-focused for those games.”
McPherson kicked two field goals in the Bengals’ 23-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI on Feb. 13, 2022. He wants to get back to the NFL championship game and hopes for the opportunity to kick the game-winner.
“I think every kicker probably dreams of that moment,” McPherson said. “And shoot, I mean, I’ve seen Adam Vinatieri’s numerous times for sure. I think it’s the only Super Bowl to have a walk-off field goal, like, time expire on the field goal. I think he had another one where there was like six seconds left, and then, obviously, Harrison Butker had his last year, so I think it’s every kicker’s dream to hit a game-winner and definitely in the Super Bowl.”
McPherson said he was “excited” about his new contract.
“I think a lot of people will be excited to find out that you have some stability and just some comfort in knowing where you’re going to be for the foreseeable future,” McPherson said. “And it just gives myself and some guys some certain level of confidence just rolling into the season, knowing that this is where I’m going be, so we’re just going to have fun and win games. …
“We have created such a good community through church, through friends that we’ve just met at restaurants here and there, but it’s just a great city to be a part of and to be in. Like I said, I’ve got a lot of friends outside of the stadium, outside of the team, and so just to know that we’re going to be here and get to enjoy those people is really exciting.”
At Fort Payne, McPherson made a 60-yard field goal and got off an 84-yard punt. He completed his prep career by kicking in the 2018 Under Armour All-American Game before playing three seasons at Florida.
McPherson started with his family when thanking those who helped him get from kid kicker to the signer of a $16.5 million NFL contract.
“I give a lot of credit to my family all the time,” McPherson said. “The reason I’m here, they kept me confident whenever I was down, and they kind of just kept me going. And my parents got me to all the kicking camps, like in high school. And then, obviously, my wife all the way through. I mean, we started dating when I was 15, she was 13, and so she’s been with me ever since I started kicking. And to just grow with her to where we are now, and she’s been really big in that.”
McPherson has attempted two field goals in the preseason. He went wide right on a 58-yarder in a 17-14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Aug. 10 and made a 54-yarder in a 27-3 loss to the Chicago Bears on Aug. 17.
The Bengals will complete their preseason schedule against the Indianapolis Colts at 7 p.m. CDT Thursday at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati. The regular season kicks off on Sept. 8 against the New England Patriots.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1