Cam Little already holds the NFL record for the longest field goal, and he almost smashed his own mark on Sunday. The Jaguars kicker was sent out for a 70-yard field goal just before halftime against the Patriots, and he almost made NFL history. He ended up missing the kick by just inches.
With just three seconds left to play in the first half, the Jags were sitting at their own 48-yard line. At that point, Jaguars coach Liam Coen basically had two options: He could have Trevor Lawrence throw a Hail Mary, or he could have Little attempt a 70-yard field goal. Considering Little has hit the two longest field goals in NFL history (68 and 67), which both came last season, Coen didn't even think twice.
He sent out his kicker for the record-breaking attempt, and Little ALMOST KNOCKED IT THROUGH. Cam Little attempts a record-breaking 70-yard field goal but it is no good.#NFL pic.twitter.com/obwBsaikJF Little hit a 70-yarder during the preseason last year, so he's already proven that it can be done in a game, but preseason kicks don't count toward the NFL record. Sunday's attempt missed by just inches.
I mean, just LOOK at this: Cam Little came THIS CLOSE to hitting a 70-yard field goal. #Jaguars #Patriotshttps://t.co/0DP6RmlCVD pic.twitter.com/lmQEvIQLgs That's how close he came to making history. This marked just the ninth time in NFL history that a field goal of 70 yards or more has even been attempted. The last time we saw anyone try a kick this long came in December 2024 when Brandon Aubrey missed a 70-yard kick for the Cowboys.
On Little's end, he set the NFL record for the longest field goal last November when he hit a 68-yarder against the Raiders, a kick that topped Justin Tucker's previous mark of 66 yards. One reason we're seeing more long kicks is a new K-ball rule the NFL implemented last season. Under the new rule, each team is given 60 kicking footballs (K-Balls) at the beginning of the season.
This allows each team to break the ball in before they use it. Since the ball can be used in practice, that generally softens it up. Teams are also allowed to use a brush to rub down the bumps (every football is covered by thousands of tiny bumps).
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