NFL Kicks of the Week, Week 1: Evan McPherson Opens With a 58-Yard Statement
By FKS Journal · Published · 4 min read
Opening weekend had no walk-off field goals, so Week 1 belongs to the long ball. Kickers made 8 of 10 from 55 yards or more, and the best of them came from Evan McPherson: a 58-yarder early in the fourth quarter that pushed Cincinnati's lead over Tampa Bay to 10, on a day he went 4-for-4.
Kick of the Week: Evan McPherson, 58 yards, Bengals vs. Bucs
Evan McPherson made field goals of 20, 55, 58 and 32 yards in a 33-27 win at Paycor Stadium, plus three extra points: 15 of Cincinnati's 33 points. The 58-yarder came with 14:09 left in the fourth quarter and the Bengals up seven. It made Tampa Bay need two scores, and the Bucs scored only one more touchdown.
Evan McPherson, 58 yards · Bengals vs. BuccaneersMoment Fourth quarter, one-score gameClock at the snap Q4 14:09Score before Bengals up 7Final Bengals won 33-27Operation Snap: William Wagner · Hold: Ryan RehkowConditions Outdoors, 85°F, wind 7 mphMake chance from distance and conditions (FKS model). The hash is not in public play-by-play, so the kick is drawn from the middle.
By our model, that kick was a 58% try in 85-degree heat with a 7 mph wind. Local 12 reported that it tied for the fourth-longest field goal in Bengals history, and that no Bengal had ever made two kicks of 55 or more in one game. McPherson led all kickers in MAKE for the week.
Runner-up: Ka'imi Fairbairn, 58 yards, Texans vs. Bills
Ka'imi Fairbairn, 58 yards · Texans vs. BillsMoment Fourth quarter, one-score gameClock at the snap Q4 6:48Score before Texans down 2Final Bills won 36-31Operation Snap: Austin Brinkman · Hold: Kai KroegerConditions Indoors (roof closed)Make chance from distance and conditions (FKS model). The hash is not in public play-by-play, so the kick is drawn from the middle.
Houston trailed Buffalo by two with 6:48 left when Ka'imi Fairbairn hit a 58-yarder to take the lead. Buffalo answered and won 36-31, but the kick was the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter of the season's first Sunday.
Third: Trey Smack, 59 yards, in his NFL debut
Trey Smack, 59 yards · Packers vs. VikingsClock at the snap Q1 12:16Score before TiedFinal Vikings won 39-22Operation Snap: Matthew Orzech · Hold: Daniel WhelanConditions IndoorsMake chance from distance and conditions (FKS model). The hash is not in public play-by-play, so the kick is drawn from the middle.
The longest make of opening weekend came from a rookie in his first NFL game. Trey Smack, from Florida, hit a 59-yarder in the first quarter at Minnesota and went 3-for-3. The Vikings won 39-22. He'll show up in this column again.
Fourth: Spencer Shrader, 58 yards, Colts vs. Ravens
Spencer Shrader, 58 yards · Colts vs. RavensClock at the snap Q3 8:00Score before Colts down 18Final Ravens won 41-23Operation Snap: Luke Rhodes · Hold: Rigoberto SanchezConditions Indoors (roof closed)Make chance from distance and conditions (FKS model). The hash is not in public play-by-play, so the kick is drawn from the middle.
Spencer Shrader made a 58-yarder in the third quarter of a 41-23 loss to Baltimore. It was the first of six kicks of 50 or more he made over the first five weeks without a miss.
Fifth: Tyler Loop, 57 yards, Ravens at Colts
Tyler Loop, 57 yards · Ravens vs. ColtsClock at the snap Q2 0:05Score before Ravens up 15Final Ravens won 41-23Operation Snap: Nick Moore · Hold: Ryan EckleyConditions Indoors (roof closed)Make chance from distance and conditions (FKS model). The hash is not in public play-by-play, so the kick is drawn from the middle.
Daniel Carlson, 62 yards · Saints vs. LionsClock at the snap Q4 0:02Score before TiedFinal Lions won 31-30Operation Snap: Zach Wood · Hold: Ryan WrightConditions IndoorsMake chance from distance and conditions (FKS model). The hash is not in public play-by-play, so the kick is drawn from the middle.
The Saints came back from 21-0 down to tie the Lions at 24 with 1:07 left, forced a punt, and got one last shot. Daniel Carlson tried a 62-yarder with two seconds left in regulation. Our model gave it about a 51% chance indoors, and over the last five seasons NFL kickers made 15 of 31 from 61 to 63 yards. It went wide right. Detroit scored first in overtime, New Orleans answered with a touchdown, and the Saints' two-point try failed. Lions 31, Saints 30.
The week in numbers
The week in numbers table
Stat
This week
Field goals made
49 of 58 (84.5%)
Expected makes for those kicks
48.2
50+ yards
13 of 20
55+ yards
8 of 10
Under 40 yards
22 of 22
Walk-off field goals
0
Longest make
59 yards, Trey Smack (Green Bay Packers)
MAKE leader for the week
Evan McPherson (Cincinnati Bengals), 4-4, MAKE +0.78
Every field goal try of 50+ yards, NFL Week 1 Made MissedEach mark sits where the ball was held; the goalposts are on the right. Marks at the same distance are spread out so they don't overlap.
Eight makes from 55 or more in one weekend is a lot. The only 60-plus try of the week was Carlson's.
How we pick the Kicks of the Week
Every made field goal gets a Kick Score: how unlikely it was (one minus the make chance, times 10), plus 0.15 for each yard past 45, plus the moment: 8 for a walk-off winner, 4 for a go-ahead kick, 3 for a tying kick, 1 for any other fourth-quarter or overtime kick in a one-score game. The moment counts in full on kicks with a make chance of 60% or less and shrinks on chip shots, so a long bomb can outrank a short winner. Make chances come from the same distance and conditions model behind the MAKE Rankings. A kicker can appear at most twice. Next week: NFL Kicks of the Week, Week 2: Harrison Butker Wins It Twice in Overtime.
Data: nflverse play-by-play (CC BY 4.0); make chances, Kick Scores and MAKE by FKS.
43%Houston Texans, the highest share (174 of 404 points)
22%Buffalo Bills, the lowest share (105 of 481 points)
Kicker points are 3 per field goal and 1 per extra point, divided by each team’s points in the same games. A high share can mean a great kicker, or an offense that often stalls before the end zone, so read it next to MAKE.
Explore the Rankings
Field goals, kickoffs, punters and long snappers: leaders, every leaderboard and a full ranking table for each.
