In the world of football, a single kick can be the difference between victory and defeat, turning ordinary players into legends and leaving fans to ponder “what ifs.” This article dissects the most memorable moments where kickers rose to the occasion, etching their names into NFL history with one swing of the leg.
MatchDayTalk analyzes the top 10 greatest field goals of all time.
MatchDayTalk Analysis
It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of recent games. The clash between the Bills and Eagles in 2023 was an instant classic, a 37-34 overtime thriller ultimately won by Philadelphia. But one play, in particular, stood out: Jake Elliott’s clutch 59-yard field goal that sent the game into overtime.
Elliott has built a career on these moments. He’s proven time and again that he can deliver under pressure, making long-distance kicks when the game is on the line. His reputation for booming field goals even earned him the nickname “Kicker.” In 2024, a lighthearted “long range kick challenge” between Elliott and Cristiano Ronaldo went viral, attracting over 10 million viewers.
Jake Elliott’s 59-Yard Rainy Day Miracle
While Elliott’s kick against the Bills didn’t win the game outright, its sheer difficulty in the pouring rain, with the clock winding down, makes it a contender for one of the greatest field goals ever made.
This got us thinking: what truly defines the “greatest” field goal in NFL history? Several factors come into play: the difficulty of the kick, the distance, the weather conditions, the game’s importance, the score, the time remaining, and even the aesthetics of the play itself.
With these criteria in mind, we’ve compiled a list of the top 10 greatest field goals in NFL history. And yes, Jake Elliott makes the cut more than once. This list isn’t driven by recency bias. Rather, it reflects the undeniable improvement in kicking accuracy and power over the years. What was once a 50/50 shot is now almost routine, which explains why many of our selections come from the 21st century.
Elliott’s kick was the 15th in NFL history of 59+ yards to tie or win a game in the 4th quarter or overtime. 14 of the 15 kicks have happened since 2006.
Top 10 Greatest Field Goals of All Time
10. Jake Elliott (2017 Eagles): 61 Yards vs. Giants in Week 3
Let’s take you back to 2017. In Week 3 against the Giants, rookie kicker Jake Elliott cemented his place in Eagles’ lore with a game-winning 61-yard field goal as time expired.
That’s right, 61 yards! A new Eagles franchise record! What a moment.
This kick came during the Eagles’ Super Bowl-winning season and propelled them past the Giants to avoid overtime with a 27-24 victory.
Elliott had already tied the game with a 46-yarder with just 51 seconds left. After the Eagles defense forced a quick punt, the rookie kicker was given the opportunity to win the game from distance, and he seized it.
At the time, the Eagles were 1-1, and who knows what might have happened against Eli Manning in overtime. Elliott’s kick helped set the stage for a Super Bowl run, and it wouldn’t be the last time he delivered in the clutch.
9. Graham Gano (2018 Panthers): 63 Yards vs. Giants in Week 5
While it was “just” a Week 5 game between two teams that would ultimately miss the playoffs, Graham Gano’s 63-yard field goal against the Giants tied the NFL record for the longest game-winning kick in history.
Gano Booms it from 63 yards for the win!!! Panthers defeat the Giants 33-31!!
This kick is one of only four in NFL history to win a game in which the team was trailing with only seconds remaining.
The Panthers may have failed to capitalize on the momentum, finishing the season 7-9, but this was undoubtedly the defining moment of Gano’s career.
We rank it higher than Elliott’s 2017 kick because it came with the Panthers trailing; a miss would have meant a loss. Elliott’s miss would have only sent the game to overtime.
8. Adam Vinatieri (2001 Patriots): 48 Yards vs. Rams in Super Bowl 36
It might seem odd to rank the only walk-off game-winning field goal in Super Bowl history at number 8, but Adam Vinatieri made it look almost too easy. Like Justin Tucker, Vinatieri had a knack for nailing game-winners right down the middle.
Vinatieri’s calm 48-yard field goal capped off the Patriots’ Super Bowl 36 upset win over the St. Louis Rams, breaking a 17-17 tie and launching a dynasty that would see New England win six Super Bowls in 18 years.
It’s worth noting that the clock inexplicably ran out with 2 seconds left after the kick. Regardless, one dynasty was born, and another one died.
Vinatieri’s ease contrasts sharply with Scott Norwood’s Super Bowl 25 miss from 47 yards out against the Giants. Vinatieri delivered from 48 yards, which wasn’t as automatic in 2001 as it is today. Two years later, Vinatieri beat the Panthers in Super Bowl 38 with a 41-yard field goal with 4 seconds left. But Super Bowl 36 remains the only Super Bowl to end on the final play with a game-winning field goal.
7. Greg Zuerlein (2018 Rams): 57 Yards at Saints in NFC Championship Game
The controversial finish to the 2018 NFC Championship Game in New Orleans overshadowed an incredible kick.
The Rams were beneficiaries of a missed defensive pass interference call. Had the penalty been called, the Saints could have run the clock down and kicked a short field goal to win 23-20 and advance to the Super Bowl.
Instead, the Rams had time to answer, and Jared Goff drove the offense down the field to set up Greg Zuerlein for a 48-yard attempt. He made the kick to force overtime where the defense intercepted Drew Brees on a tipped ball.
But the Rams stalled and faced a 4th-and-7. Head coach Sean McVay trusted his kicker to deliver from 57 yards out, and Zuerlein came through with a clean kick to win the game 26-23:
The controversy over the uncalled penalty and the Rams’ subsequent Super Bowl loss have obscured how impressive that kick was. If Zuerlein missed, Brees would have taken over at midfield, needing only a field goal to win. That was a fantastic kick.
6. Matt Prater (2013 Broncos): 64 Yards vs. Titans in Week 14
You could call this the “Denver Selection.” Former Broncos kicker Matt Prater had several impressive makes from long distance. Playing in Denver at Mile High with the altitude gave the kickers a boost.
That helps explain why Denver kicker Jason Elam tied the old NFL record in 1998 after making a 63-yard field goal before halftime. It gave the Broncos a 27-10 lead, so the pressure wasn’t really there to end the half, but that was a great kick.
Matt Prater did him one better in 2013 for the record-setting Denver offense. In a Week 14 game against Tennessee, the Broncos were trailing 21-17 when Prater established a new record with a 64-yard field goal to make it 21-20 at the half. Denver stormed back to win 51-28, no doubt getting a boost from that record-setting kick, the only one on our list that was before the fourth quarter.
But you could argue Prater’s most clutch kick was in 2011 when Denver hosted Chicago. Fueling the crazy run of close wins with Tim Tebow at quarterback, Prater made a 59-yard field goal to force overtime (sound familiar?), then he hit a 51-yard field goal to win the game 13-10 in overtime.
Finally, to prove he wasn’t all about the Denver altitude, Prater made a 59-yard field goal to break a 27-27 tie with Washington while he played with Detroit in 2020. That game was played indoors, but it was still a great kick to win the game, and one of just 11 game-winning field goals in NFL history from 59-plus yards.
5. Jake Elliott (2023 Eagles): 59 Yards vs. Bills in Week 12
Elliott makes the list twice! While not the game-winning kick, it was a game-saving play that looks more impressive when you add the context before the kick happened.
First, we saw Buffalo kicker Tyler Bass really struggle with the rainy conditions in this game. He had a 34-yard field goal blocked and missed another from 48 yards. We had only seen Elliott make his extra points in the game, but this was going to be his first field goal attempt of the game.
The sequence before the kick sure cast some doubt on Philadelphia winning this game. All-Pro center Jason Kelce had a rare false start, Jalen Hurts narrowly avoided a fumble on an incomplete pass, Hurts only gained 3 yards on a designed run that closed up quickly, Kelce had a second false start, and Hurts’ pass to A.J. Brown on 3rd-and-17 was knocked down, meaning Elliott was going to have to make this from 59 yards out to continue the game.
The odds were not looking good, but Elliott has never blown an opportunity like this in his career, and he made sure this wasn’t going to be the first clutch miss on his resume. He snuck the kick through the upright and the game was tied with 20 seconds left. The Eagles eventually won in overtime after Hurts rushed for a walk-off touchdown.
It remains to be seen what the long-lasting effects are from this field goal and this win. But it could eventually lead to another No. 1 seed for the Eagles, which could set them up well for a return to the Super Bowl. Maybe they win it all like they did in 2017, the year Elliott made from 61 yards against the Eagles in our No. 10 greatest field goal.
It also could be the kick that led to the end of the Sean McDermott era in Buffalo. The Bills went from looking like they’d get a season-saving win to possibly missing the playoffs entirely now. The coach is not likely to survive that as the Bills now lead the NFL with four blown leads in the fourth quarter and overtime.
This one was thanks to an incredible, top five field goal.
4. Matt Bryant (2006 Buccaneers): 62 Yards vs. Eagles in Week 7
The Eagles have not always been on the right side of history when it comes to clutch field goals. In 2006, the Eagles were a 6- point favorite against Tampa Bay but found themselves down 17-0. They thought they pulled off an improbable comeback after Brian Westbrook went 52 yards for a go-ahead touchdown, but the Bucs still had 33 seconds to work with.
Rookie quarterback Bruce Gradkowski moved the offense 20 yards before only seconds remained in a 21-20 game. It was going to have to be a 62-yard field goal attempt by journeyman kicker Matt Bryant, who was already with his fifth NFL team.
But Bryant had just enough leg to get the ball over the crossbar for a game-winning field goal for the record books. You have to understand that at the time of this kick (October 2006) there had only been one other game-winning field goal from deeper than 58 yards in NFL history, and that happened back in 1970.
Bryant’s kick arguably gave the kickers of his era new hope in what they could do with the game on the line, and also on long-distance kicks in stadiums outside of Denver. Two months later in a December game between the Colts and Titans, kicker Rob Bironas hit a 60-yard field goal to win that game for Tennessee.
But Bryant’s kick was one of the greatest, and when he joined the Falcons in 2009, he was one of the game’s best clutch kickers.
3. Tom Dempsey (1970 Saints): 63 Yards vs. Lions in Week 8
The footage is grainy, and the goalposts are barely visible, but Tom Dempsey’s 1970 kick remains legendary. With no time left on the clock, Dempsey booted a 63-yard field goal to beat the Lions at Tulane Stadium. Detroit was a 9-point favorite, but Dempsey’s fourth field goal of the day was the decisive one in a 19-17 final. It was the first time in NFL history anyone made a 60-yard field goal, and Dempsey made it from 63 yards at that to win the game. Prior to 1970, the longest made field goal in the NFL was 56 yards.
The NFL would not see another 60-yard field goal until Steve Cox made one for the 1984 Browns. But the record of 63 yards was not tied until Jason Elam did it for the 1998 Broncos, and Dempsey’s record was not broken until Matt Prater made from 64 yards for the 2013 Broncos. But out of those three kicks, only Dempsey’s was a walk-off game-winning field goal.
Adding to the lore of Dempsey’s kick was that he did it with a straight-toe style, which was eventually abandoned for soccer-style kicks. But in Dempsey’s case, he was born without toes on his right foot and without fingers on his right hand. He had to wear a special shoe for kicking, though analysis has shown it was not advantageous to him as a kicker to wear that.
Dempsey’s kick did modify rule changes to the kicking game. First, the goal posts were moved to the back of the end zone instead of standing in the end zone, adding 10 yards of distance to each kick. That is why Dempsey will likely go down as the only kicker in NFL history to make a field goal from behind his team’s 40-yard line. In 1977, the NFL also made a rule where any shoe worn by a kicker must have a normal kicking surface.
You could say Dempsey was a bit of a unicorn among kickers in his era. He made the Pro Bowl as a rookie kicker in 1969, and in each of his first three seasons, he kicked the longest field goal in the NFL that season. But to give you a good sense of how far kicking has come since Dempsey, in 1971, he led the NFL with 70.6% of his field goals made (12-of-17).
In the 2022 NFL season, all 33 qualified kickers made at least 71.4% of their field goals, so Dempsey would have ranked dead last. But his record-setting kick is the all-time kicking highlight from the NFL’s old days.
2. Justin Tucker (2021 Ravens): 66 Yards at Lions in Week 3
Justin Tucker is so good that he could have made the top five twice with long, game-winning field goals in Detroit. He made a 61-yard game-winning field goal to beat the Lions in 2013. But we have tortured the Lions enough on this list already, so we’ll just keep it to Tucker’s best kick.
In Week 3 of the 2021 season, the Ravens were giving us a taste of the team they’d become with the way they blow leads too frequently. Detroit had just taken a 17-16 lead, but Lamar Jackson had a minute left to set up Tucker, the best to ever do it.
But after taking a pair of sacks, Jackson had to convert a 4th-and-19 with a wild play to Sammy Watkins for 36 yards. That only left time for a spike, and then Jackson threw incomplete with 3 seconds left at the Detroit 48. Going with Tucker was the only real option at that point. It was a record 66-yard field goal, which was going to beat Matt Prater’s record by a full 2 yards.
JUSTIN TUCKERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!! was the words echoed from the commentary box by the commentator.
Tucker got the fortunate bounce over the crossbar, and history was made with that 66-yard field goal to win the game. It is the longest field goal period and the longest game-winning field goal in NFL history. Good luck to anyone topping that kick. If someone does, it could be Tucker himself.
1. Adam Vinatieri (2001 Patriots): 45 Yards vs. Raiders in AFC Divisional (Tuck Rule Game)
The greatest field goal in NFL history only tied a game. But without it, the NFL would not be the same in the 21st century.
In a game that became immediately infamous for The Tuck Rule, it was Adam Vinatieri’s 45-yard field goal in the snow that saved a championship season for the Patriots, and it was the foundation for the career legacies for Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.
Where would the Patriots be had Vinatieri missed the kick with 27 seconds left? Instead of winning their first 10 playoff games together, Brady and Belichick would have had a one-and-done home playoff loss where the offense only scored 10 points, and Brady was fortunate to have his season-ending fumble overturned by a rule that no longer exists.
Belichick may have gone back to Drew Bledsoe for the 2002 season at that point. The dynasty in New England hinged on one incredible kick. Vinatieri also made a 23-yard field goal in overtime to win the game, but it was that 45-yard kick to extend the game that was the best of his career or any kicker’s career.
No other Super Bowl winner has ever relied on their kicker more to save the season than the 2001 Patriots did with Vinatieri, who made our list earlier for his 48-yard game-winning field goal in the Super Bowl that same postseason. Vinatieri’s kick here is the only one on our list that could have been the difference between a championship and no championship for that team.
Had Jake Elliott missed against Buffalo the other day, the Eagles would still be 9-2 with a chance to do everything they want to this season. But Belichick and Brady put all their chips on Vinatieri to deliver, and he did with the greatest kick ever.
Belichick, also a historian of the game, has acknowledged it as the greatest kick ever. Vinatieri talked about the kick in 2018 and admitted the odds of making that one were extremely low. “It’s funny because after it happened people asked me if I had to [try] that kick 100 times how many times would I make it. I told them it was a 50-50 shot. I look back and go, ‘Who you kidding, that’s maybe a 10 percent shot if you’re lucky.”
No one combined luck with skill quite like those 2000s Patriots, and they all owe respect to the player who delivered the greatest field goal ever.
MatchDayTalk Verdict: Expect More Long Kicks to Win Games
As we have shown above, long game-winning field goals have become roughly a yearly occurrence since 2006. Kickers are better than ever at kicking from 40, 50, and even 60-plus yards and they will keep getting better and better as time goes on. But there is always that question of how they will perform when the kick means the difference between winning and losing the game. Those kicks when the pressure is at its highest.
Kicker is largely a mental position where they are held to the harshest of standards when things do not go right. If we made a list of the most devastating missed field goals in NFL history, the plays would be the opposite of what we observed here with the greatest. They would be shorter, easier kicks that we were shocked to see the kicker missed.
It is hard to impress physically at the kicker position. You basically have to nail a long, clutch kick in bad weather like Vinatieri and Elliott did. If they missed it, rational people should understand why. But this is why holding up mentally is one of the most important things for a kicker to do following a big miss.
As our list has shown, few have ever been able to rise above a dire situation and make a jaw-dropping kick that was anything but routine to help win a game. But Elliott did that on Sunday to help create one of the regular season’s fantastic finishes, and it was worth taking some time to put that field goal in proper context for history.
