ClutchPoints
The NFL is a rough place with collisions, injuries, concussions, and … field goals? Yeah, not so rough in the world of place-kicking, right? And because kickers are expanding their length, here is why the NFL must consider radical rule changes for field goals.
And there is a reasonable solution.
There’s no doubt the league wants to see more touchdowns. And the NFL wants teams to go for it more on fourth down instead of settling for field goals.
But let’s look at the length of Cam Little’s preseason field goal for the Jacksonville Jaguars. It’s now possible for a team to score three points without reaching midfield. Before Little’s 70-yard bomb, the longest successful NFL kick was 66 yards. That required a trek to the opponent’s 49-yard line. Little’s kick came with the ball on the Jaguars’ 47-yard line.
With the new touchback rule putting the ball at the 35-yard line, the Jaguars — and perhaps the Cowboys with Brandon Aubrey — only need 12 yards to be in field-goal range.
OK, it’s obvious that teams still want to score touchdowns. The real goal of football is not getting close and kicking the ball over the heads of the defenders. Teams want touchdowns. Players want touchdowns. And six-point plays are definitely what the fans want to see. Many NFL fans would likely feel ripped off if the final score was 9-6 with no touchdowns.
But if the situation allows a team to score three points instead of punting, why not?
Of course, teams aren’t going to try these ultra-long kicks at just any point in the game. It usually comes at the end of the half or the game.
But think about this fairly common scenario. A team scores a touchdown, kicks the extra point, and takes a one-point lead with say, 10 seconds remaining on the clock. In the old days, it was game over.
These days, the scoring team might still lose. If the return gets back to near the 30-yard line, or if there is a touchback, the trailing team needs just one fairly short completion to be in long field goal range.
Who really wants to see this? Kickers already hold way more sway over the outcome of a truly physical game than they should. Teams battle and fight like warriors only to watch some guy — who kicked into a net all game — trot onto the field and get treated like a hero. Or perhaps a goat.
Furthermore, it’s becoming increasingly easy to make field goals from long distances. Kickers are connecting from 50-plus-yard attempts like it’s nothing. Even non-elite kickers are nailing long shots.
To show the level of ridiculousness, Houston Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn made an NFL record 13 kicks from 50-plus yards. I’m sorry, but what season-ticket holder for the Texans went into the season hoping to see that record get broken? It means the Texans’ offense failed over and...
